Sirius Black & The Star Chaser
by LynxGirl90
Summary: 【SLOW UPDATES】 A story of how Sirius fell in love with his childhood best friend. Set in the Marauders' fifth year, the story explores everything, starting from hurt, friendship, love and heartbreak, that Sirius shared with the only other girl he'd ever loved in his entire life.
1. The Secret Stares

**Sirius and Isabella's 5th year: 1975**

 **Story Title: Sirius Black The Star Chaser  
** **Author:** LynxGirl90  
 **Main Pairings:** SB/OC  
 **Time-Period:** 1975 – Sirius and Isabella's 5th Year at Hogwarts  
 **Story Type:** Short Story  
 **Genre:** Romance  
 **Rating:** T

* * *

~oO* **The Star Chaser** *Oo~

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Secret Stares**

 **November 12, 1975** **05:43 AM**

It was still too dark outside, but several over-enthusiastic Quidditch fans from Gryffindor (mostly boys) were already up and thronged the Changing Rooms along with the rest of her team. It was, after all, the match of the year and the ' _Sudden Death Play-Off_ ' OF THE SEASON (Hooch's words, not mine); in other words, it was practically even bigger than the finals. The match was so important that the whole school, _including the professors_ , was eagerly looking forward to seeing the Slytherins get CRUSHED after their mega foul against the Ravenclaws.

Unfortunately for Isabella though, the more she went over such useless bits of trivia, the more nervous she got and that was _so not ideal_! Scowling at herself, she blew out a long breath and shouldered her broom before plodding down the steps towards the Gryffindor Changing Room.

 _Okay, let's go, 'Chaser-who's-just-been-made-permanent_ ', she thought to herself. _It's no big deal, you're_ just _another player. No pressure What. So. EVER…_ she told herself and clenched her jaw in determination before walking through the curtained entrance. The air inside was stiff with tension and bursting with excitement, but when she entered, several heads turned around.

And then all hell broke loose.

" _THERE'S OUR STAR **CHASER**_!" someone yelled, and the tiny room went berserk with jubilation, owing to her _spectacular_ performance in their previous match against a very tough Hufflepuff team. Before she could even register what was happening, several burly boys had hurtled towards her and lifted her right off solid ground amidst loud chants that went, " _Williams! Williams! Williams! Williams!_ "

Squealing in sheer panic, she looked around frantically at the ecstatic faces of her fellow House-mates and begged them to put her down, but evidently, none of them seemed to care and ended up doing a victory lap around the little make-shift room. " _Honestly_?!" she cried, stifling a laugh and looking around the room for help when her gaze fell on Sirius. He stood a little distance away from her and was grinning to himself, his face gleaming with amazement at the reception she was getting. For the space of a heartbeat, though, their eyes locked, making her stomach squirm uncomfortably. She blushed when she realized he was still holding on to her gaze and quickly turned away before she embarrassed herself any further.

Next to him, James, the other Chaser on the team, was chuckling casually too at the madness and decided to join in on the fun by chanting oddities every time the boys yelled her name.

"Williams!"

" _The Star Chaser_!"

"Williams!"

" _The Snake Charmer_ …!"

"Williams!"

" _The Queen Slayer_!"

"Williams!"

" _The HEART-Breaker_ …!"

Isabella was in splits now and the longer she watched James, the more she risked choking to death with laughter. Still bobbing up and down on the boys' shoulders, she yelled, "Rob, it's not funny anymore! Put me down, this is _mental_!" she half-yelled, half-laughed.

" _Honestly_! That's enough!" Thomas Walker called out from the back of the room, a seventh-year and the Captain of the team. There was something about being the Captain of the Quidditch team that gave the person almost a ' _Godly_ ' status among Gryffindors at least, because, the second the words were out of his mouth, the hooligans, albeit reluctantly, put her down right away. Thomas, along with Clarissa Goody, Oliver Wharton, Brian McAdams, Simon Gregor and the scared-looking Victor Davies, were going over the match strategy and position maps over and over again before today's match against Slytherin. "Williams, come on over, you're our main Chaser now, so you and James need to learn your new positions!" he said curtly, glaring pointedly in James's direction.

James fisted his chest and dramatically thumped his hand in the air as a way of saluting his Captain. "Anything for you, Tom! Especially, since you had the balls to sack big-mouthed _Jackson_ from the team!" he said, wiping away fake tears off his face. "I can Chase a LOT better now, mate, and it's all thanks to _you_ …" he crooned theatrically, inviting several rolling-of-the-eyes from the rest of the team.

"Yeah, I fervently hope Williams kicks your _butt_ in today's match," replied Thomas, his lips curling up in a slight grin. "Anyway, Goody, you, Williams, Potter and I, we need to communicate _all the time_! The three of us will keep Chasing _until_ you've seen the Snitch. What's the first rule of Quidditch?"

Clarissa rolled her eyes. "' _Don't chase the Quaffle when you can see the bloody_ _Snitch!_ '"

" _Exactly_! And that's what we're going to do today as well!"

The next two hours were spent going over maneuvering techniques and position strategies that the team needed to employ in today's match—all _painstakingly_ drawn out by their Captain. The sun had fully risen now and was shining brightly down at them. "…and remember," Thomas added, as the team began to disband and get ready for one last practice before the match started. "You two," he said pointing at Sirius and Oliver, "since Williams is new and since she's a…" he stopped and shrugged, as if her being a 'girl' was somehow changing the whole tone of the game, "you two need to do EVERYTHING under the sun to keep her from getting hit! Protect her with your _life_ or you will die a PAINFUL death!" he said, suggestively holding his hands up in a choker position.

Isabella flushed instantly while James snorted and thumped Sirius hard on the back. "Oh, _he_ will!" he said, making Sirius grace him with a deadpanned expression that did a better job at screaming _'bloody murder_ ' than Thomas's open threat! "Look, mate, just let me do my job as your best friend, alright?" he said, feigning hurt before breaking off grinning stupidly that made Sirius want to punch him even more. "Now get your Lady Love to start talking to you again before I take matters into my own hands!" he guffawed, ducking away from Sirius's death swipe and dashing out of the Changing Room.

A moment passed when neither of them moved a muscle.

Biting his lip, he finally looked up at Isabella and shrugged apologetically. "Ignore him," he scoffed apologetically, looking very red in the face, while she put her gear on. "Anyway, all set?" he said, grinning from ear to ear and slapping her painfully on the back. "It's your first full match in over two years!" he exclaimed, shaking her up real good and being blissfully oblivious to the look of shock on her face!

She didn't know how he did it.

How was it possible for him to act as if everything was just _perfect_ in paradise? _How_ was he able to look past the fact that the two of them had hardly even _spoken_ to each other in last several days?!

And right now, things had gotten so awfully formal between the two of them, Isabella wondered if they'd ever go back to being normal friends again!

Isabella huffed and tried to be just nonchalant as he was. "If I'm being perfectly honest, I'm practically considering running away and never returning!" she muttered, even as the rest of her House-mates filed out of the little room to go sit on the stands and scream out nonsense instructions at the team till their throats bled.

Sirius shook his head in exasperation. "Blimey, Izzy, why do you always have to be so _painfully_ modest?" he asked, giving her a disapproving look. "You're a bloody genius with the Quaffle, and you know that. You're all the whole school's talking about!" he said, pulling his Quidditch robes over his head and ruffling it out.

"Still no reason to get over-confident," she replied, knowing fully well how irritatingly morbid that must sound to Sirius.

He merely shook his head in disbelief. "Officially abandoning all hope of trying to get you to see the light!" he stated flatly mutely grabbed his broom off the floor.

"Fly well today," she said, purely because she couldn't think of anything cleverer to shoot back at him. "And don't get hurt, or my mum will hear about it," she added with a little smile.

Sirius snorted. "Oh, yes. Wouldn't want _that_ now, would we?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, chuckling a little. "Anyway, it's not me that you should be worried about. Tom is right, they're going to be targeting _you_ most of all. It's your first match as a full-time Chaser so they don't know your game at all," he said walking out of the Changing Room with Isabella. "Plus, you're a _girl_!" he jeered idiotically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked crossly.

"Hey! I have no problem with that!" he said, putting his hands out in defense. "If you were to ask me, I'd say I find that _mighty_ sexy!" he grinned, giving her a knowing look. "I mean, imagine, a _girl_ , on a _broom_ , giving the boys a run for their _money_?!" he looked longingly into the distance with a hand to his heart, as if that's all he'd ever want from the world. "I'd pay MUCH gold to watch that!" he snickered, making her gape at him in disbelief. "I'm _kidding_ , come on!" he quickly added, looking at her expression. "I'd never think that way, you _know_ that. But there's no telling with the Slytherins, so…"

"Lucius wouldn't dare," she said, trying to sound as confident as possible. " _He_ knows my game and he's not as stuck-up as the rest of his House is at least," she said, and noticed him visibly stiffen at that comment.

Looking at her like she'd finally lost all the screws in her brain, he scoffed. "You wish!" he said. "You don't know the first thing about that prat!"

"He's my _best friend_ these days, Sirius."

That did it. That was the last straw and Isabella knew it. She'd gone too far this time and felt bad almost immediately.

"I mean…"

"Save it," he cut in, grabbed his broom and took off in the blink of an eye.

"Oi! Careful on the pitch today!" she barked out.

"Yeah, what do _you_ care?!" he called back, and zoomed off into the distance to join the rest of the team.


	2. Parlaying On Black

**A/N: For those who are familiar with my work, please note that this story is the extended and full version of Sirius's life at Hogwarts that was described in bits and pieces in my other ongoing story titled, "Harry Potter: A Marauder's Tale." If you're new, thank you for checking this story out, it means a lot me :)**

 ** _beaniebun_** : Thank you for your review and follow! You motivate me to keep writing! :)

 _ **Forbidden-Love-0776**_ : Thank you for the follow :)

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Parlaying On Black**

* * *

It felt like even the scoreboard was screaming at them to buck up because, it read **Gryffindor - 20 : Slytherin - _170_**.

The Slytherins were doing it again; they were going hard and they were here with a vengeance! The Bludgers kept flying at her SO OFTEN that, Isabella was almost starting to doubt if, secretly, there were _more_ than two of them being used in this match! The bloodshed in this match was so bad that, Brock Bletchley, the commentator from Ravenclaw, almost termed it as ' _The Quidditch Pitch Massacre of 1975!_ '

Wiping her nose for the hundredth time, she shot after the Quaffle that Pollux Emberpike had thrown high up in the air.

"There he goes and she's falling for it AGAIN! When ever will Williams _learn her lesson_?!" Brock screamed into the mic.

"One more of that, and you'll never commentate, Bletchley!" came McGonagall's not-so-powerful threat.

Isabella shut the voices out, blew out a long breath and just went for it, believing entirely in herself. Through her peripheral vision, she could see the blood-stained Bludger hurtling after her - no surprise there!

 _Faster, faster, faster_ , she kept muttering to herself and zoomed after the red ball.

"Looks like she's going for it after all..." Brock muttered into the mic and the stands visibly held their breath. The Quaffle was racing towards the ground, but she was faster; she stretched her hand out and glanced at the Bludger on her left. In the blink of eye, she grabbed the Quaffle dived upwards, doing a semi-circle spin in the air and missing the Bludger by a whisker! An eruption broke out on the stands as every student that was _not_ Slytherin jumped up to their feet and screamed their lungs out for Isabella to make the loop!

Fierce determination coursed through her body as she sped towards the Gryffindor side on a mission.

"Need a hand with that, sweetheart?!" jeered Radley Grayheart from her right and tried to bump into her, but she ducked and zig-zagged her way through the pitch, avoiding another burly Slytherin Chaser called Gareth Burke and hurtled past the Gryffindor stand.

" _MAKE THE GOAL OR I WILL_ **KILL** _YOU, WILLIAMS_!" Lily screamed from the stands, automatically putting a smirk on her face.

"AND _SCOOORE_!" boomed Brock, making it look like it was the biggest victory in Hogwarts history; in reality though, the score still only was 30:170 so much so that, the Slytherins had practically _stopped_ going after the Quaffle. They reckoned they could beat Gryffindors into submission if all six players, excluding the Seeker, took on the role of Beaters, perhaps!

" _There's_ the Williams we saw earlier! THAT'S what she became famous for! Out-of-the-box flying technique, boys and girls!" yelled Brock, earning loud cheers and applause, mostly from the boys in the three House stands.

Isabella laughed loudly and waved at her friends in the stands before getting back into the game once again. Her eyes searched the skies and found that James had grabbed the Quaffle this time and was fighting off three burly Slytherins, one of them being Lucius Malfoy himself. She watched grudgingly as a second Bludger, hit by Sirius, fire towards the group and thrash Pollux neatly off of his broom, giving James more room to maneuver his way out of their trap.

" _GO FOR IT JAMES, go, go, GOOO_!" she screamed and raced after him as well, making sure to knock Flynn Abbott off balance as she did.

"WHY YOU HERE?!" yelled an agitated James.

"MORAL SUPPORT!" she yelled back, making him look at her in complete surprise before doubling up in laughter.

Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she and James flew side-by-side towards the goalpost and were almost three-quarters of the way there when a shrill whistle sounded through the grounds, making her heart stop beating in her chest. Shock and fear flashed across James's face too as the two of them swivelled around to see what had happened. A dead silence descended all around them too as the students themselves were unsure who caught the snitch when...

"CLARISSA GOODY HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! _GRYFFINDOR WINS_!" bellowed Brock and an outburst of screams drowned James and Isabella's shrieks of happiness! The stands had jumped to their feet again and were howling their throats off in this unexpected turn of events! Confetti flew all around them and, within seconds, James and Isabella were surrounded by their teammates, all rejoicing crazily at their victory. Isabella felt almost numb with excitement as she screamed and screamed and screamed in joy until her eyes watered!

"WE DID IT! _WE DID IT_! WE BEAT THOSE SLIMY ARSEHOLES!" yelled an almost tearful Thomas Walker and pulled James and Isabella into a tight hug.

"YES WE DID!" yelled back an ecstatic Isabella from under Thomas's embrace when the stands went " _Williams! Williams! Williams!_ "

Before she could unwind herself from James and Thomas's heavy arms, however, the rest of the team joined them and, Sirius nearly jumped on top of James, his face permanently sporting the biggest smile Isabella had ever seen.

"We did it!" he shrieked right into James's face while Clarrisa and Oliver were busy losing their heads over the victory next to Isabella. "Oh, and, I made sure I screamed as many insults as I could possibly muster at those blockheads before I got here!" he grinned happily and looked eagerly at his teammates, as if that was somehow contributing towards _national pride_!

Everyone laughed and exchanged exasperated glances with each other, except James, who gasped for full measure. "You're the brother I never had!" he gushed, staring dreamily at Sirius's stupid grin and cracked up a little more than he should have; well, at least _someone_ gets Sirius, eh?

The next several minutes was spent merely celebrating their victory with the mad crowd around them, most of them determined to stay on and rip their throats off only till _werewolves_ came a-calling! In fact, more than the Gryffindors, it was the Ravenclaws who were jubilant at Slytherin's crush in today's match after their tragic loss two Sundays ago. Isabella, along with the rest of her team, took three victory laps around the large stadium, hi-fiving and fist-bumping students on their way. Before long, the euphoria touched a new level when, several students resorted to stealing brooms from the pitch basement and joining the team in the air, doing somersaults and 'wind-whipping' like deranged hooligans!

It was truly one of the best times she's had in all these five years at Hogwarts. Never before, was Isabella this famous or celebrated in this school till this second. In fact, not many had even cared for her as much till she _ruined_ the Hufflepuffs last weekend with eight scores. And in all honesty, it felt mighty good to finally be noticed and respected at some level...

When Isabella had first come to Hogwarts, she was a chubby and bushy-haired girl, perhaps slightly too overweight for her age as well; as if that wasn't enough for her to get bullied in the corridors, she found it very difficult at first to keep up in her studies too, having been raised in a Muggle household all her life till that point. Alone and friendless and having to deal with extreme bullying at such a young age had made her retreat into a shell until her second year, when she and Lily became friends.

Lily. Bless her. Lily, Isabella realized, does not make friends fast; she takes her time to assess them, study them and get used to them before finally letting them inside her close ring. But, once she imprints on someone, there's no holding her back!

Smiling to herself, she saw her crazy friends jumping up and down in the stands and asking her to hurry up and meet them below already! Hugging Clarissa goodbye, she descended to the ground, still giddy from happiness.

"You know, a Snitch shouldn't be worth a _hundred and fifty points_ , it's unfair!" someone called out, making her whirl around.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't feel so strongly had Abbott caught it first, I'm sure," she replied, raising an eyebrow at Lucius Malfoy, who leaned lazily at the entrance with his broom perched up, as if waiting for her. "I must say, though, that was _nowhere_ near the 'Fair Game' station today," she said, jerking her head at the Quidditch pitch.

"You know how we are," he smiled, shrugging apologetically. Grinning to himself, he ambled towards her. "Good game," he said and put his hand out which she caught in a firm pound-shake.

"You too," she said, releasing his hand and fist-bumping it, grinning at his forlorn expression. She could tell that he was happy for her but was also heart-broken at their loss all at the same time. "So, what plans now? What do Slytherins _usually_ do after losing a game, which, of course, is a very, very rare scenario?" she asked cheekily.

"Well, for starters, we exert all our energies in snarling and sneering at anything and everything till we get _bored_ ," he said, rolling his eyes as if that was the undeniable universal truth. "And then, we'd try and crash into the Gryffindor Common Room just to rile the boys up and get them to duel with us, perhaps," he guffawed, cracking up towards the end. Isabella laughed too as the two of them made their way out of the Quidditch pitch. "It's the _only_ thing we know to do well, in all honesty," he mused sarcastically.

"Apparently!" laughed Isabella, making air quotes with her hands. "Anyway, if there really is going to be a gang war-ish duel in the dead of the night, I want in!" she grinned, skipping on the spot with excitement.

" _Absolutely not_ ," Lucius replied most solemnly. "How's your nose now, though? Is it still bleeding?" he asked, changing the subject effortlessly.

"It's not bleeding as much but, it's going to be a while before it's restored to full working condition, thanks to _Emberpike_!" she spat out, as anger seared through her veins instantly. She hated the Slytherin team, with the sole exception of Lucius. She and Lucius had been friends since third year when they shared a desk in Potions one day. Professor Slughorn had given the students the task of concocting the common remedial potion for scars and wounds and, Lucius had been so good at it that Isabella had asked him to teach it to her after class that same day. And they have been good friends ever since.

"Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow at DADA," she said, as she noticed her friends hopp-skip-jumping their way towards her.

Lucius merely nodded and gave her a cursory hug before adding, "And I sincerely hope Potter lands on his face, doing a mini stage-dive in your Common Room tonight," making her grin even more. Giving her one more long look, he winked and headed down towards the castle.

Still smiling, she turned around to see where her friends were, only to get knocked down to the ground as four VERY heavy bodies slammed into her, squealing and screaming like it's nobody's business!

"You know, I might not know much about Quidditch nor am I that drawn to it..."

...

"...you're the _worst_ , Lily!" Mary exclaimed, baffled at the thought that someone could dislike _Quidditch_.

Lily rolled her eyes. "As I was saying, even for a person like me, I very much appreciated watching them _BURN_ today!" she said, emphasizing on that word harder than Isabella ever knew was possible!

Isabella was lying down on her bed, while the rest of the girls got ready for the secret victory party that the Gryffindor Quidditch team was throwing in the Common Room in thirty minutes. Grinning broadly at Lily's angry red face, she winked at Alice and Claiborne, immediately alerting them. "You know, I think all of _London_ would've heard you screaming bloody murder from the stands too?" she asked, making the rest of her dorm burst out laughing. "You should come and watch me play all the matches from now on! It's quite a pleasure having you on the stands!" she said, unable to hold her grin back.

"Yes, plus have you noticed just how _clueless_ James gets every time she comes to watch?!" Claiborne Jones cooed, grinning pointedly in Isabella's direction.

Lily blushed a little, but continued to comb her dazzling red hair, pretending to not be a part of this discussion one bit.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we _all_ saw that, obviously!" Mary chimed in. "He scored all of, what, ten goals in the last match against the Puffs? And today, it was _two_! TWO!" she said and held two of her fingers right in front of Lily's face for emphasis.

"Mary, _stop it_!" she exclaimed, pushing her hand away from her nose while the rest of the dorm roared in laughter. "If he's that stupid, then I'd honestly merely worry for him, is all!" she said, shrugging vigorously and shredding her hair to pieces with her brush. "Secondly, I refuse to believe that he's in love with me just because he makes all those sly innuendos every now and then...!"

"...who said anything about ' _love_?'" Isabella cut in, looking around in fake surprise at the rest of the girls, making Lily blush even more.

"And THIRDLY!" Lily spat out, making her jump up in her bed, "why are you still in your Quidditch robes?! You need to change into something brilliant, come on!" she said, holding her by the hand and dragging her out of bed. "No, no, no, Lily, the team is throwing this party for all of you, me being in my robes in basically the _point_!" Isabella grumbled, but she knew this was an uphill battle that she'd never win!

"You're my best friend and I will _not_ allow you to look like a slob in your own party!" she stressed and pushed her in front of the mirror while Claiborne, the prettiest and the daintiest of them all, took the liberty of rummaging through Isabella's trunk to look for a suitable outfit.

"I must say though, I quite ADORE muggles clothes!" she said, holding up one of her most favorite bottle green, silk blouses ever. It was nearly as short as a crop top that curved up on the sides and helps to accentuate her long legs, making her look taller. "And let me see... We're going to pair this with a pair of..." she said, still ripping her trunk apart until she found what she looking for, "black pant suits, yes! We have a winner!" she said, beaming at the rest of them.

"Excellent choice! And I have the perfect emerald-green earrings to go with that as well!" said Lily, smacking her hands excitedly.

"Finally! She's not a lost cause after all!" Mary sniggered and plopped down next to Isabella in front of the mirror too. "She's our Star Chaser and the boys would, very likely, be expecting quite a sight tonight!" she said, gazing dreamily at her friend, who found it very hard not to roll her eyes.

"That's almost near impossible..."

"Stop it, Izzy, you need to look the part!" Claiborne mock-chided, knowing fully well that she was treading dangerous territory right now. Isabella graced Claiborne with her most ' _Oh-I-Am-SO-Going-To-Get-Back-At-You-For-That_ ' look, making her laugh even more.

" _When_ did the focus turn on me?!" Isabella asked, amazed at Lily's tact.

It took Isabella all of ten minutes to wash up, change, brush her long brown hair and stand by the door, waiting for her girlfriends to join her. Looking at herself in the mirror, she had to admit, she looked pretty good tonight.

...

Walking down the stairs towards the Common Room, Isabella realized that the party had already started and was going in full swing as other sixth and seventh year girls trudged back and forth from their dorms to the Common Room, sporting impressive outfits themselves. Her stomach did a little squirm as she neared the landing of the stairs while Lily and the rest of them trudged on confidently ahead of her.

An ear-splitting party raged on in the Common Room: Gryffindor House banners were sprawled across the walls, a red Quaffle stood on a pedestal in the center of the room, confetti flew everywhere, Butterbeer stalls lined one end of the room, loud Muggle music blared through the speakers and the students seemed to have gone berserk over the victory. James and Sirius were, predictably, at the epicenter of the party, pouring a bunch of boys a whole tub of Butterbeer. Looking around though, Isabella noticed that the rest of her team were still donning their Quidditch robes, making her want to kick herself for having let Lily talk her into changing!

"I _told_ you so!" she growled in Lily's ear, which she merely waved off and as said, "I don't recall any of us chanting any of _their_ names in today's match, so you're allowed!" she yelled back over the noise of the music. "Besides, why are you hiding behind me? Grow a pair and enjoy your party, Williams! We won because of _you_! Come now, dance with me!" she yelled and merely bobbed her head up and down howling, "Woo-Hoo! Woo-Hoo!" a little more enthusiastically than Isabella would have preferred, making her bury her face in her hands in embarrassment.

Exchanging a worried glance with Claiborne she announced, "And that's even before any Butterbeer has entered her system!" making Alice and Claiborne roar in Lily's direction. "Just another reason why our friend here is so precious!" said Mary and threw her arm around Lily's shoulder as the five of them made their way to the other end of the room where the couches were placed.

"OKAY, it's Oath-Taking time! Where's my team?!" howled a slightly tipsy Thomas. Lily raised her eyebrows at Isabella as if she couldn't be prouder while Mary and Alice raised their hands and bowed down to their Quidditch Queen, making her push them off grudgingly. Waving her friends goodbye, Isabella hopped over to the centre of the room as the rest of them arrived as well. A wave of excitement descended upon the Common Room as every House-mate present there eagerly jumped up and surrounded their heroes while they took their sacred oath match-after-match. Isabella could hardly keep herself from grinning broadly at how serious everyone takes this silly tradition of theirs. Clarissa, who stood next to her, seemed to share very similar emotions too; rolling her eyes at Sirius's solemn expression, she threw her hand around Isabella's shoulder and waited, while Thomas prepared his mental speech.

He solemnly put his hand out, and his team stacked their hands on top of his starting with James followed by Victor, Simon, Clarissa, Brian, Oliver, Isabella and (she didn't time this well _at all_!) Sirius. Sirius's hand slammed _so hard_ on top of hers, she almost winced in pain, but he merely winked at her and chuckled mischievously before turning towards his Captain (Isabella suddenly was very aware of the warmth of Sirius's hand on hers, sending a weird kind of tingle in her stomach).

"Now, everyone knows I make terrible speeches..." Thomas hummed with his eyes still closed, already sparking laughter all around them, "but it _is_ the House's tradition that generations of GREAT Captains have upheld to this day..."

"...all hail, Lycorus Avery!" yelled the handsome Ryan Evantrap, a sixth-year student, speaking of the former Gryffindor Captain and ex-Hogwarts student who had started this tradition six years ago.

"Hear, hear!" several students muttered, followed by a wave of grins resounded all around her.

"The seven of us walked on to the pitch today without the slightest clue that we shall embarrass ourselves THIS MUCH in front of the whole school," Thomas continued in his mystical voice, triggering a roar of laughter and applause from everyone, "but we're thick-skinned, and none of us give a rat's arse about our reputation as long as we simply _win_!" he said shrugging apologetically, inviting another round of loud cheers and applause from the students.

"Especially if it's against _Slytherin_!" growled Robert Mathews from the crowd, making several boys growl in admission, James, Oliver and Sirius _included_.

"Also, I wish to express how much I like Robert's line of thought here!" Thomas declared, pointing enthusiastically in his direction. "Get as shameless as you possibly can against Slytherin till the end of time, people, because _they are not WORTH IT_!" he exclaimed, and Isabella burst out laughing. Several students around her had doubled up in peals of laughter at the fierce expression on Thomas's face.

"Best Captain ever!" said Sirius, thumping Thomas's back.

"And so, in conclusion, since I feel the effects of my Butterbeer wearing off, I pledge to the House of Gryffindor, that we shall _try_ and not be such an embarrassment again for the rest of the season..."

"...but there's no telling with Gryffindor, _SO WE TAKE THAT PLEDGE BACK_!" howled James, causing the whole room to explode with laughter. Isabella was in splits so much that she almost collapsed to the floor, clutching her stomach for full measure. From the corner of her eye, she saw Lily and the girls losing their heads over the speech too.

"Actually, Potter here, has a point!" guffawed Thomas, finally wiping the mock-solemn expression off of his face. "Anyway, I could not have asked for a better team, and I wish I get to captain the six of you till last breath here at Hogwarts!" he exclaimed, ending it on the most dramatic note ever. The team high-fived each other as per tradition before calling off the conference while the students went berserk with laughter, still reveling in their funny Captain's insane speech. Isabella, who was also laughing hard, wiped her eyes and got up to join her friends when she caught Lily's eye, who signalled to her to get them all Butterbeers before she got to them. Giving her a thumbs up, Isabella turned around and walked towards the stalls.

"Williams, right?" someone said, tapping her on the shoulder. She turned around and was surprised to see Ryan Evantrap standing there, smiling confidently down at her.

"Er, yes, hi!" she said, waving nervously back at him.

"Hi, I'm Ryan, a year above you," he said, giving his hand for her to shake.

"Yeah, I think pretty much everyone in this room would know _you_ ," she grinned back politely as he turned a slight shade of pink around the ears. "It's nice to finally be able to talk to you, though."

"Ah, no, the pleasure's entirely mine!" he laughed nervously, making her wonder why. "Er, anyway, I er... Just thought I'd say hi... to you, I mean... Thought we could... er... I hoped that we can be friends?" he asked, scratching the back of his head and looking at her expectantly.

"Um, sure, I'd like that very much..." she said, mildly surprised at the conversation. "So, I hope you're going to stick around a little while more?"

"I'm going to be here all night!" he laughed. "Anyway, er... It was nice talking to you..."

"Same here," she smiled and turned around to fill up a few mugs for her friends (from the corner of her eye, though, she thought she saw him smacking his own in frustration as he made his way back to where his friends sat).

"Hey, Evans!" she suddenly heard Sirius's voice boom out of nowhere, making her turn around. "Why don't you join James here in the party? He really misses you!" he called out cheekily and a whole bunch of boys wolf-whistled from around James (James blushed instantly, but looked expectantly over at Lily all the same).

Lily rolled her eyes at him. "We've discussed this, Black!" Isabella saw her yelling her response back to Sirius from the other side of the room. "I'm not taking you up the on offer until you confess about your feelings for Williams!" she raised eyebrow and flashed a smug smile making Sirius's face go blank temporarily. All the colour from Isabella's face drained as she watched this _very_ public exchange of dialogue between Sirius and Lily. Sirius, for his part, couldn't believe that she had said that out loud in front of the entire _gang_ as well.

A mingled look of surprise and shock washed over the faces of the boys around him as they roared even more loudly this time; James, who seemed MOST shocked at her statement, thumped him hard on the back and said, "Having them hots for the _Star Chaser_ now, eh?" and the rest of the group cackled after him.

"What, NO! NOOO!" Sirius said, finding it difficult to find the right words. "Come on, James, _HER_?" he said, looking incredulously at James and the boys.

"Of course!" yelled Lily, teasingly. "Why else would you save the Quaffle that won today's match... Wait a minute, wasn't it scored by _Isabella...?_ " she asked, her eyes twinkling. Sirius positively went red in the face now and ran his hand through his hair with a defensive grin.

"That was ju... That was nothing!" he said, smiling defensively at the boys who were looking expectantly in his direction, not buying a _word_ of what he's saying. "Oh that's just great," he exclaimed, realizing how pointless his explanation was. "Honestly, Evans? Can't thank you enough for that, really," he said, giving her a playful death glare. "But if you _must_ know," he said to the boys, who were now sniggering uncontrollably behind him, "I was just _very_ emotional about this win against Slytherin! It's got NOTHING to do with _Izzy...?!_ " he said, shaking his incredulously and scrunching up his eyebrows in pretend-disgust.

"Right, yeah of course," said James, trying very hard to keep a straight face. "You don't feel ANYTHING for _'Izzy'_ obviously!" said James, quite unable to control the facial muscles that were threatening to tear the skin right out of his skull.

Sirius hung his head in exasperation before playfully pushing James's face away from him. He grinned at the boys before saying, "James honestly, me and _her_? NEVER happening, why would you even _think_ that?!" he said shaking his head in disgust. Still grinning, he turned around to get some more Butterbeer and stopped short in his tracks: Isabella stood there looking wide-eyed at him. Her face had lost all its color and she looked as white as a ghost as his remark slowly seeped through the pores of her brain.

The rest of the boys behind him burst out laughing while Sirius continued to gape back at her, his face growing paler and paler by the second. Isabella merely raised an eyebrow at him and bit her lip in an attempt to control herself.

"Nice, Sirius," she said, scathingly as hurt crossed her eyes. "I feel _precious_ ," she said blinking back tears before whipping around and dashing towards the dorms.

"Izzy, _wait!_ " he called out and leaped in front to try and reach for her, but she jerked away from him and disappeared up the stairs.


	3. Of Words Unsaid

**A/N: _celestelyralestrange_** and _**nanalyfe99,**_ thanks a lot for reading my story and for the Follow :) You guys made my day :)

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Of Words Unsaid**

* * *

She stormed into her empty and dark dorm, fiercely wiping her face with the back of her hand. More than anything, she was merely angry with herself for having even LET this whole thing affect her in the slightest, because, let's face it, this was not something that she was _not_ used to before?! This was how Sirius had treated her for the five long years that she's spent strutting within these walls! And it was ALSO one of the biggest reasons why she had kept her distance with this... this... fire-breathing, _venom_ -spewing _TERRORIST_!

Basically Sirius was a coward. He was such a big coward that, Isabella still found it hard to understand just HOW he got sorted into _GRYFFINDOR_ of all Houses! He was a coward to admit to the world that he and Isabella used to be extremely close friends once upon a time, that he GREW up with her in the _same bleeding neighbourhood_ and practically spent most of his waking hours eating out of _her_ fridge and hijacking _her mother_ in _her own HOUSE_! And, can we please take a moment to talk about his _MAMMOTH_ of an ego?! That slimy, rotten piece of _dragon dung_ that he...

Someone knocked on the door, making her crash land back to Earth. Jumping up in surprise, she turned around to find Lily standing at the door, wearing a worried expression on her face. "Izzy, can I come in?" she asked softly, but Isabella was angry; _boiling mad_.

"No," she merely said, and went back to pulling her pajamas over her head and ruffling it out. She was going to SLEEP it off while the rest of her House was down there, _killing it_ , all I thanks to _Lily..._

"No, don't do that, Izzy, come _on_ ," Lily groaned when she realized Isabella was preparing to ditch the party already. Pushing the door open she strode in towards her with a firm face. "Listen, I am sorry... I just wanted to stir him up a bit, but I did not think things would turn out to be such a disaster!" she exclaimed, obviously feeling mighty guilty for the whole thing, but it only made Isabella angrier.

"No, Lily, you _know_ how he is with me and you KNOW for a fact that he's an oaf of the highest order! So, _why_ did you ever feel the need to pull me into the conversation? That was _random_!" she said, scowling at the floor. It was funny, because, Isabella wanted to punch through a wall, bawl her eyes out _and_ hug her friend till eternity _all at the same time._

Lily blinked once and seemed to be having an internal battle of some sort with herself. "Well, I... I know I shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry, it's just that... well, you're my best friend and the prettiest person I know..."

"Oh, come ON!" Isabella rolled her eyes.

"No, I'm serious! You're gorgeous, Izzy and I... just... I wasn't thinking straight, I reckon, and I wanted to get back at him real bad for his comment about me and... _Spectacles_!" she spat out, heavily emphasizing the last word alone for good reason. Sighing, she looked at Izzy again, and hesitated a bit, like she was nervous about something. "But, er... Izzy?" she began, looking straight into her eyes, "I've been meaning to ask you something... You two seem a bit tense around each other of late... A bit _more_ tense than usual, actually. Any particular reason?" Lily was reading Isabella's face like an X-Ray machine.

Isabella, for her part, turned a deep shade of red at her question. She knew Lily was going to ask her about this sooner or later, because her hostility with Sirius was getting a little too blatant for words in recent times. On the other hand, though, she also knew she'd _explode_ if she kept this to herself for a second longer, so was also partly relieved to finally have Lily ask about this. Rubbing her face in frustration, she said it one breath: "I walked into him in a broom closet three days ago when he was with someone."

Lily grimaced immediately, her expression hardening a bit more than what Isabella was expecting. "He what?" she yelled through gritted teeth. "Oh, he is so _DEAD_!" she exclaimed, glaring at an invisible Sirius behind Isabella. "But, _why_ is this affecting you? I thought you told me..."

"Yes, I thought I was over him too, four months ago, but it looks like I really am _not_!" she said, even as her eyes filled with hot tears. "I'm not... Seeing him wound around another dimwitted daft _cow_ made me realise that I am still hung up on him and... I don't think I can ever even _look_ at him the same way anymore, Lily..." she whispered, letting a tiny tear trickle down her face. "Merlin, I am so stupid..." she said, hitting herself lightly on the side of her head. "What is wrong with me...?" she pouted sadly even as Lily wrapped her hands around her.

"Nothing, you're bloody brilliant, and you know that," she said fiercely, obviously still feeling a little angry at this whole situation. "Izzy, you're the kindest person I know and you deserve only the best. And I feel horrible for you, you spent all of _five seconds_ down there in your own party and Sirius just ruined it! Merlin, I hate him for saying those things about you, _especially_ when..." she stopped short in mid-sentence and merely rubbed her face in frustration.

"Especially when _what_?" Isabella grimaced questioningly at her.

"Nothing," she said quickly, looking distracted. "Anyway, now that I'm up here, we might as well get something productive done. You want to finish off that Astronomy homework with me?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Isabella replied sarcastically, but jumped out of bed all the same; any distraction was welcome right about now... And just as she was about to get her books and sketches, however, she noticed something floating straight towards Lily. "What is that?" she said, jumping over Claiborne's bed and grabbing hold of the little paper rocket that was flitting across the room on its own accord. Eyeing it suspiciously, she tore open the parchment and snorted a little: _'Hey Evans! Where'd you disappear off to? Now, I_ really _miss you! Come back? please? - Your one and only.'_

"What is it?" Lily asked. Isabella mutely gave her the parchment and bent down to find her books instead. Lily took a quick look at it before rolling her eyes, and looking up at Isabella. "How did he know I would be up here in the dorm?"

"Perhaps he magicked it to search through the tower and find you somehow?" Isabella offered, knowing fully well what James was capable of.

"That's... _Genius_..." was Lily only response to that.

The next day morning was pretty much the same for every member of the Gryffindor team because, the party had raged on till well over 3 AM and it was back to classes come Monday, meaning it wreaked panic and chaos _all around_ her! Hurriedly rumbling down the stairs with a stack of books on one hand, quills and wand on the other and her tie between her teeth, Isabella was sure she was going to be late for Transfiguration, but more importantly, she was going to miss _breakfast_ too!

"Need help with those?" Remus smiled, heading down the stairs from the boys' wing. When she nodded her head vigorously, he chuckled a bit and took her books from her.

"Thank you so much, you're a godsend, Remus!" she exclaimed, as she quickly threw her quills onto the couch and started doing her tie. "Did you manage to finish that Trans essay?"

"Of course, but is it not due tomorrow? You still have time!"

"No, I don't! I have so much to read up on before I can complete it and I have Quidditch practice for the whole _week_!" she groaned before wiping her face of all expression and staring wide-eyed at him, "Remus, may I please borrow your homework?" she asked, her expression only short of begging.

"Not a chance!" said two voices at the same time, making Remus and Isabella turn around: it was Sirius and Lily. Glaring daggers in Sirius's direction, Lily continued to speak, except she was talking to Isabella in reality. "You do not borrow people's homework, Izzy! Have I taught you _nothing_?!" she said, finally tearing her eyes off of a confused-looking Sirius. Shrugging innocently, Sirius plodded into the Common Room too, "You should listen to her, you know?" he said, rubbing his tired eyes. "Besides, _I_ am borrowing Moony's, so..."

Isabella's jaw dropped in shock. "I asked you first, Remus!" she appealed, making sure to _not_ look in Sirius's direction.

"Izzy, for Merlin's sake, please don't beg!" Lily muttered, rolling her eyes exasperatedly.

"But, he's not _your_ best friend, he's _mine_ ," Sirius replied, fully ignoring Lily's comment. " _Your_ best friend is Grumpy here, too bad she won't share _her_ homework!" he guffawed, shrugging his cloak on. "What's she on about, anyway?" He chuckled at a very red Lily.

"It's none of your business, Black!" she snapped and grabbed Isabella by the hand. "An enemy to her is an enemy to me too! Let's get out of here, Izzy!"

Sirius looked curiously at Remus and mouthed, ' _Enemy?!_ ' before the two of them broke out into silent grins. "Er, before you go though, Izzy...!" Remus called out and strode quickly towards them, "I think Sirius here, has something to say to you," he said and looked pointedly in Sirius's direction. "Sirius?"

"What?"

"Now's your chance to make up for last night, go ahead."

"What about last night?" Sirius shrugged innocently and looked between Remus and Isabella.

Remus for his part, simply gaped disbelievingly at him. "Do you want me to spell it out for you?"

"What are you talking about, Remus, I do not have anything to say to _anyone_ ," he asked, looking incredulously in his direction.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Most certainly!"

"But, as I recall correctly, you couldn't _stop_ stressing about it all through last night, so much that James threatened to throw you off the _tower_! What was that about again?"

It took Sirius a second to process the words that he had just said. Glaring daggers in his best friend's direction AND managing to turn on his haughty charms at the same time, he huffed menacingly and retorted, " _Marlene's BACKside_!" without even batting an eyelid. "Have you seen it, Moon-Moon? It's _quite_ delightful, you know?" he smirked pointedly at Remus's unforgiving face. "Now, if you don't mind, we're _all_ getting late to class, so can we hurry it along?" he said, gesturing to all three of them, who merely either gaped surprisedly (Remus) or looked like they'd rather punch him _straight_ in the nose (Lily) or stay transfixed on the spot, secretly hurting (Isabella). And there he goes again...

Transfiguration, so far, had been one of the toughest subjects to keep up with for all fifth-years, especially since, it becomes optional for students from their sixth-year onwards, and so, McGonagall seemed hell bent on squeezing in as many concepts down their throats as was physically possible!

"Now, I have said this before and I shall say it again! No student with anything less than ' _Exceeds Expectations_ ' on their OWLs will be allowed into my N.E.W.T classes!" she bellowed, making several students shift uncomfortably in their seats. "And rest assured, anyone _not_ studying Transfiguration everyday of their winter break _will not pass_ their OWLs this year!" McGonagall asserted with finality, staring particularly at a frazzled-looking Peter Pettigrew who was hiding behind the broad frames of James and Sirius. "Also, any monkey business from _anyone_ this year and I'll make sure they'd regret the day they set eyes on me."

The look she gave nearly sent shivers down everyone's spine and, many even sat up straight, as if that could fetch them some brownie points.

"So, then, without further ado, today, we shall learn to master the Vanishing Spell, a most complex spell that can be used on both inanimate and animate objects..."

James gasped. "Do you mean to say it can be used on _Filch_ too, Professor?!" James gushed, raising a cocky eyebrow at the slowly hardening face of McGonagall. Remus nudged him hard on the ribs but, much to his annoyance, Sirius decided to joined in as well!

" _My word_ , if you could do that for us, I'd _kiss_ you!" Sirius added, spreading his hands wide open. "Imagine how easy our _lives_ would get, James!" he said, grinning happily at his best friend.

A dead silence followed that remark when more than half the students in the class battled with themselves to not burst out laughing. " _Twenty. Points. From. Gryffindor_!" McGonagall spat out through her teeth, her eyes narrowed to mere slits!

"We love you _more_ , professor!" James snickered back and Isabella was sure McGonagall was going to throw her desk at his infuriating face.

Feigning composure (because, obviously she'd given up trying to tame these two), she turned around to face the rest of the class and continued as if _nothing_ had interrupted her. "Without wasting any more of my time, I want the class to divide into groups of three before we learn the technique of the spell!" she barked out, instantly sparking movement in the class as everyone shuffled about to follow her instructions.

The next half hour was spent merely mastering the wand movement and how to correctly pronounce ' _Evanesco!_ ' in order to achieve maximum results. The Marauders somehow didn't seem to struggle at all and seemed to have learnt it in first fifteen minutes itself, except Peter, who took slightly longer. Isabella, though, was struggling per usual and she didn't know why, but she got the feeling that Sirius and James were snickering behind her back every time she messed up the spell even the slightest.

"You know, I think it's because we're using _snails_!" Sally Smith from Hufflepuff suddenly declared out-of-the-blue.

"What do you mean?" asked Isabella, momentarily turning her focus away from her slimy snail.

"What do I mean? Come on, McGonagall has done this on purpose! She wants to instill fear in us so that we fail in class today!" she proclaimed in a loud whisper.

"Er... Exactly how do you think she's bound to benefit from that?" asked Remus from the table in front of theirs, looking mildly interested.

"It's all tactics to get us to study harder in the coming holidays, obviously?!"

"And that's a bad thing, _why_?" he chuckled, looking at the forlorn expressions on their faces.

Sally rolled her eyes. "Just because _he_ mastered the spell already..." she whispered angrily in Isabella's ear.

"Respectfully, Remus, I'd request you to wipe that gloat off your face!" Isabella bit back the smile that was threatening to burst at the end of her lips. "You don't have to ask all the right questions _all the time_ , you know?"

"Thank you!" Sally high-fived Isabella's raised hand.

"What exactly is your problem with the spell, Williams? It's as simple as it can get!" asked Sirius from behind her, making her flush instantly. If she had a club in her hand, she'd gladly crash it on his face and knock that stupid smirk right off!

"Girls..." muttered Samuel Willows, another Hufflepuff, rolling his eyes at an amused Sirius. " _Everything_ freaks them out!" he muttered, making Sirius laugh out loud in pure sympathy for the chap.

"Take. That. _Back_!" she growled at Sam who was still having a great time socializing with Sirius.

"Or you could just clear your mind and get the bloody spell right, it's not a Blast-Ended Skrewt for Merlin's sake!" Sirius retorted, looking grim all of a sudden. Isabella jumped a little and turned around to look at his uncharacteristically stern face. "Just drop last night from your mind for a second and focus on the damned snail. You've handled far worse!"

Isabella paused for a second, her eyebrow arching high in her forehead. "So you _do_ remember," she snapped back.

"I couldn't forget about it if I _wanted_ to," he retaliated, staring right into her eyes. The two of them continued to claw onto each other's gazes, exchanging a million thoughts and emotions that the others were completely oblivious to. "Now, come on, I can't stand watching you three struggle with this for another second, it's _embarrassing_!" he shook his head in mock disappointment, finally breaking eye-contact with her and got working with them instantly.

And that, perhaps, was the closest thing to an apology she was going to get from him.

Sirius, perhaps, was the most complicated person she'd ever met till now. Funnily enough, this was the boy next door that she had grown up with and had known all her life and yet, she still did not understand him one bit. One second, he's as mean as he could possibly get and the next, he does something completely opposite, that tells her that he might actually, deep down, _care_ for her. Because, for the rest of the class, all Sirius did was guide her till she got the spell right (it did hurt her dignity _quite_ a bit to admit that she indeed was struggling a bit with the spell, but Sirius made it seem so exceptionally normal that, she eventually dropped the act and actually took his help).

The next couple of days went by as per usual where the students had a brilliant snooze-fest in Binns' class, for instance, and the polar opposite of that at Potions and DADA. It was particularly hard for Isabella to keep up as she had to constantly juggle between classes, practice and a _mountain_ of homework that steadily got stacked in front of her with every passing day. And for the first time ever, she saw James starting to complain about life too.

"You know, I did _not_ think fifth-year was going to be this hard!" he grumbled on Friday night, sitting at the Gryffindor table for dinner. The team had just returned from a grueling practice session and Isabella's every limb hurt.

"Wait, till you get to _our_ year. It'll have you wishing you remained in fifth and never graduated!" said Clarissa Goody, grinning at James. She was sitting next to Ryan Evantrap and several other sixth and seventh year boys who often accompanied the team in their practice sessions and joined them after at the dinner table, just to be a part of the discussions and to maintain the team's camaraderie—something that Isabella liked very, very much.

"I don't know _what_ you're complaining about, Prongs," Sirius said, towering behind Isabella and playfully swinging his broom at his side. "School's great!" he shrugged.

"I agree," snorted Martin Benkley, a seventh year and Thomas Walker's best friend, winking slyly at an amused Sirius. "If all us got as many girls as _you_ do, none of us would be complaining as well, mate!" he said, inviting a lot of grunts and nods from the party.

"Well, I disagree!" chimed in James. "There's only _one_ woman that excites me beyond belief..." said James, sighing dramatically with his hand on his heart.

Isabella smiled fondly in James's direction. "Sadly though, if all you got as many girls as _Sirius_ does, all of you would have a lifetime ban from the Magical _Bird_ Sanctuary!" she shot back at the rest of the boys, making everyone pause for a second before bursting into laughter, amazed at the retort. Sirius, she noticed, was cracking up too behind her, as he gave her shoulders a good squeeze and said, "Right! Because, I nail ' _chicks_ '! Excellent word play, Williams, I am impressed!" he laughed, still bawling over Isabella's head while the rest of them grinned along.

"So, your friend here is mighty funny, I see?" grinned Ryan with a raised eyebrow. He was sitting directly opposite to Isabella.

"She sure is," he replied, still grinning down at Isabella's red face. "Never thought I'd see the day, though. Been awfully quiet for the last three years, this one," he snorted, giving her a slight nudge from behind before walking around and taking his place on the table next to her.

"Really? That's not right, we ought to change that!" said Ryan, grinning a little and looking back and forth between her and Sirius. "Tell me then, mate, what else _is_ she like?" he asked, this time looking only at Isabella, making her blush even more.

"Ah, would you see that?! Look who finally grew a pair, lads!" exclaimed Daniel Willets, another sixth year, clapping a coy Ryan on the back. "He's been eye-balling..."

"Shut up, Dan!" Ryan snapped, making Daniel shrug mischievously.

Isabella was very aware of all the boys staring in her direction, and felt a nervous tingle in her stomach. "Well, if you were to ask Raging _Romeo_ here," she spoke, trying to sound as confident as possible, "he'd probably say I'm rather boring and _dead_ on the inside!" she said, looking at the satisfied face of Sirius.

Ryan graced Sirius with a confused look. "Who's Romeo?"

"And why's he _raging_?!" guffawed Sirius, stuffing his mouth with roast potatoes. "Anyway, point is, had you asked me that question a couple of years ago, mate, I'd have asked you to bolt out the back door as quickly as possible! But, she's been showing promise in recent times," he said, painfully clapping her back (sometimes, Isabella wondered if Sirius ever saw her as a _girl_!), "so I'd say you're welcome to take her out!" he grinned, glancing proudly down at a very uninterested Isabella. "Oh, she likes dessert a LOT, so you should plan for Honeydukes!" he gave his blessing, making her feel extremely awkward.

"Someone seems to know a lot about our Chaser, huh?" James cheekily added from Isabella's left, making Sirius merely grin back in his direction, before attacking his dinner.

And in the middle of all this talk, Isabella and Ryan were left awkwardly staring at each other; neither had expected Sirius to be so crass and crack down the conversation to a date this quickly. "Can we talk?" he started, a slight smile gracing his handsome face. "Privately?" he added, when he saw Sirius cheekily checking out Isabella's expression from the side.

"Sure, why not?" she said and stood up, making the boys give Ryan a shocked look before wolf-whistling in his direction and cheering him on. Ryan was blushing a little as he quietly stood up, warding off dense comments from his friends before making his way towards Isabella. "You're welcome, cupcake!" Sirius yelled in her direction before chuckling after her.

Isabella was almost shaking internally as Ryan led her to a quiet corner in the Great Hall, breathing nervously himself. As soon as they reached the window, he put his hands in his pockets and looked up at her, smiling a little, while the Gryffindor table continued to cheer them on from the distance. "Ignore them," he said apologetically.

"Always have," she replied, smiling politely back at him. "Oh, and don't let my current scent drive you away, I don't usually smell like this," she joked, gesturing to her dirty Quidditch robes, making him grin back.

"Wow, you're better than I thought you would be," he smiled, his eyes oozing with genuine adoration for her. "Are you always this funny?"

"Not when I'm sleeping, I'm not," she smirked, making him laugh out loud yet again.

"So, anyway... I... would love to get to know you better..." he began, scratching the back of his head, nervously. "And I was wondering if it would be alright if er... if I could ask you take you out sometime," he said, looking longingly down at her.

"What did you have in my mind?" she asked much to his surprise.

"Well, I'm not sure if this would appeal a lot to you but, there's a party that Slughorn is having next Friday. I thought it'd be a good idea to go _with_ you... Would you come?" he asked, looking expectantly at her.

Something tugged at her insides as the words slipped out of his mouth; how she wished this was really coming from _Sirius_? She still could not explain what it was about him that filled up her heart so much. And she knew no one could ever make her feel the way she'd feel for him. Ever.

"That sounds lovely, Ryan," she smiled, taking him fully by surprise. "I'd gladly go with you to the party."

"Wonderful!" he gushed and took her in his hand. "It's on then," he said, looking into her eyes and giving her hand a squeeze before stooping down and kissing her on the cheek. The eruption of cheers from the Gryffindor table that followed that kiss made every other table turn around to see what was going on.


	4. Prince & Prongs

**Chapter 4: The Prince & Prongs**

* * *

'Special Edition: RISE OF A NEW DARK LORD IMMINENT, MUGGLES MAIN TARGET' were the words that screamed out of the front page in today's Daily Prophet. Feeling a tight knot forming in her stomach, she read on.

' _The magical world finds itself, yet again, on the brink of sinking into Darkness as rumours of the rise of another Dark Wizard does the rounds. If whispers on the streets are to be believed, said wizard, whose identity continues to remain unknown, is expected to amass more support and following than even Gellert Grindelwald had during his time. If Grindelwald was famous for his dream of overturning the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy and creating a new world order in which, wizards were the benevolent overlords of their world, the current Dark Lord, also known as Lord Voldemort, is commonly known for his hatred for Muggles. Going by the "Purist" view, Voldemort is believed to staunchly support the idea of keeping "Magic" accessible to only purely magical families with untarnished bloodlines and ancestry; there is no place for Muggle-borns in this world. Though the rumour mill about this Dark Lord had been abuzz since 1970, the lack of activity or any signs of Dark Magic at play, kept the Ministry tongue-tied on the matter; it has, however, become clearer only in recent times that the Dark Lord has, indeed, been using the time to befriend and gain the support of beings and creatures that the Magical community have blatantly rejected till now: giants, trolls, werewolves and vampires. What is bound to happen next remains unclear, but it is certain that the Dark Lord's first target would most likely be Muggles followed by Half-Bloods._ '

"Why do I get the feeling that the Ministry isn't telling us something?" Isabella asked, as she tossed the paper aside and frowned at her abandoned toast. "We've been reading about this wizard for _months_ now, and it's pretty much the same thing said in a few different ways!"

"Why read them, then?" asked a very cheeky Claiborne; she did not even have the courtesy to look up from her essay!

Throwing a playful death glare in her best friend's direction, she continued on. "You can't pretend that this is nothing, _Jones_!" she stressed particularly on the last word. "I can't believe this... Our world is slipping into Darkness faster than I had originally anticipated," she said, this time looking positively worried. It was very early on Saturday morning and Isabella, along with Claiborne, Alice and Mary, was in the Great Hall having breakfast and working on their homework at the same time.

"Are you honestly getting worked up because of an article?" asked Claiborne, looking up from her Potions essay. "You said it yourself, Izzy, the Prophet is hyping this man up for the heck of it! It's merely to rile people up and get them on their toes for no reason, and you're falling for it brilliantly!"

"I don't think it affects you as much because you're not a Muggle-born, Clay. I mean, Purebloods almost never have anything to worry about, do they?" Mary replied, looking sick with worry. "This man is changing our world... He's openly questioning and talking about things that were buried deep within our society for a long time now. He's stirring up conversations that were frowned upon by a vast majority till now; he's telling them that its finally 'OKAY' to _not_ be okay with the current order of things, that... it's okay to call yourself a 'Purist' once again! That it's FINE to treat us Muggle-borns as third-class citizens..."

Isabella nodded, deep in thought. "It won't be long before it's on everyone's mouths," she concurred, sighing heavily. "Mary's right, this man is starting a revolution that's going to spin out of control and none of us will be able to do anything about it, except get sucked into the storm ourselves! I won't be surprised if he starts killing Muggles off to make a point... It's all only a matter of time, you know?" she said, and looked towards the Slytherin table, a weird kind of fear creeping up inside of her.

"Okay, but he's not after our necks _today_ , is he?!" Alice groaned, looking up from her essay. It was funny how, of the five girls, nearly four of them, with the exception of Claiborne, were all Muggle-borns. "Our biggest threat right now is not some shoddy Dark Wizard, it's _Sprout_ , so can we all agree to panic about this Voldemort man for when he actually strikes?" she said, bringing a smirk on Isabella's face. "Besides, I really need help with this essay, Izzy, you _know_ how much I suck at this!"

"Okay, Parker, stop yanking my wand!" Isabella chuckled, and begrudgingly bent down to help Alice with her Herbology homework. Isabella did not know what it was that was bothering her so much, but she had to consciously put an effort to push all thoughts of this Dark Wizard out of her mind and focus on school work; this was going to sound MAD, but she somehow could not shake off the feeling that there was some sort of a weird connection between her and this faceless man...

Looking up at the teachers' table, Isabella saw Dumbledore chatting away with Flitwik and Slughorn, the three of them huddled together, as if they didn't want to be overheard, looking grimmer than ever. For some reason, she was beyond certain that they were discussing the article as well, immediately confirming her theory that there was _more_ to this wizard that what the press was letting on.

 _Stop obsessing, Isabella!_ she told herself before gathering her things and getting up from the long table. "I'm heading up to the library," she declared, making Claiborne and Alice grace her with shocked expressions on their faces. Frowning amusedly, she bit back a smirk before saying, "Just need a bit of calm and peace to focus, that's all?" she said, reassuringly, inviting more dramatic gasps from them, as if they were hurt that she thought they weren't quiet enough for her. "Oh, stop it!" she grinned, making the three of them burst out laughing too. Still laughing, she blew them a kiss before disappearing out of the Great Hall.

The next three hours were spent buried behind a _heap_ of books in the library, with the sole of determination of completing as many damned essays as possible over the weekend. She scratched away with her quill so determinedly that, she was sure her hand was going to fall off any second. At one point, her brain felt so fried that she was positive her sentences were starting to sound like random _gibberish_ coarsely pieced together! Sighing loudly, she finally gave up pretending to concentrate on her Potions essay and started wrapping up her stuff.

"...I _cannot_ believe you just said that!" said someone from far away; it was a voice that Isabella instantly recognised and it was moving closer towards her.

"I still don't understand _what_ you're so upset about, Lily!" said Severus Snape, another fifth-year Slytherin boy. "Since when did you start caring about that lot, I thought you hated them too!"

"I don't _hate_ anyone, Sev! I just dislike them, but it still does not give you the right to talk about him like that, it's downright _mean_..." Lily replied, sounding more aghast than anything else.

"Oh, that's right!" he mused sarcastically, "what _I_ said about him a moment ago was 'mean,' but all what _they_ do or say to me everyday of every week for the last _five_ years is quite fine, I suppose, eh, Lily?" he challenged her, just as the two of them appeared from behind the book shelf and into Isabella's view. Isabella, for her part, ripped an old book from the bookshelf closest to her and pretended to be deeply engrossed in it as the two of them continued to argue behind her.

"I never said that, Sev!" Lily yelled crossly. "I've given James a piece of my mind every time he's so much as _breathed_ on you, and you know that! You know that I do not, even in the slightest, approve of their behavior..."

"...Lily, I'm not an idiot, I see everything!" he whisper-yelled. "You _say_ you despise them, that you can't 'stand' them and all that garbage, but do not try and deny the fact that, lately, you _have_ been getting mighty chummy with that _plonker_ , Black! And you never say one thing out of line to Pettigrew, _Merlin_ knows why, since he deserves as much respect as does a _teaspoon_! And now, you're throwing a racket because I said something about _Lupin_?!"

"It's not _who_ you said those things about, Sev, it's WHAT you said about him that concerns me!" she retaliated fiercely. "It's gotten me worried about the kind of person you're becoming! Sev, this is not who you are... at least not the same thoughtful, kind person that I grew up with...?!"

"He's _dead_!" he snarled back and the two of them ended up staring at each other for a full minute. Isabella looked up worriedly from behind a book called, ' _The Rise Fall Of The Sacred Age_ ' and saw Severus's handsome face contorted with repulsion. She didn't, for a second, approve of him talking to Lily in this manner and would have gladly knocked him out cold with this heavy book in her hand. "I'm sorry, but five years of enduring mere insults and humiliation at the hands of four extremely dimwitted bunch of _tossers_ has most definitely changed me! It's bound to happen to anyone, but, of course, _you_ wouldn't know because, you were never at the receiving end of it, were you?! So, excuse me, if I think you're just as dead from the neck up as they are!"

Lily simply gaped back at him, clearly rendered speechless. "Severus, I hope you understand one thing," she started, eyeing him dangerously. "I am only just learning to see the goodness in people despite their flaws. James _is_ unfortunate and a PIG HEAD of the highest order! He IS mean and he will CONTINUE to be the biggest prat the world ever saw..."

" _BUT?_ " Severus growled through gritted teeth.

Lily drew herself to her full height before answering a very red Severus. "...but, I respect him for what he's doing for Remus," she said in a quiet voice. "I didn't think he was capable of being a decent human being in the remotest sense, but now, I think he's more compassionate, mature and kind than _both_ of us combined!" she glared daggers in his direction, her chest heaving and falling in anger. "He's a much, _much_ better person than you or me are and you cannot deny that, especially after what I heard you just say about his best friend! HOW could you want some _dead_ just because of what they _are_?! That was mean and UNFORGIVABLE!" she said and slammed her copy of ' _Magical Drafts and Potions_ ,' inviting a very stern ' _Shhhhh!_ " from Madam Pince, the librarian.

Severus looked like he would explode any second now. "How exquisite," he snorted, sarcasm dripping from every pore on his face, "so, it does not matter at all that I, your _best friend_ , was hurt and humiliated beyond expression all these years by those prats... All that matters is Potter's ability to ' _ACCEPT_ ' and entertain a _shoddy_ WER—!"

"Shut up, Severus!" Lily silenced him immediately, and frantically looked around to see if anyone heard that; as she scanned every corner of the library though, her eyes finally fell on Isabella. Her eyes widened in complete shock while Isabella turned a deep shade of red around her ears. "I'll see you tomorrow, Severus," she hissed curtly to which he shot back with a, " _Not likely_!" and stormed out of the library without even giving her a glance back.

An earth-shattering silence fell between them as Lily rubbed her face in complete frustration while Isabella simply seethed in mind-numbing embarrassment. Shaking a little in nervousness, she put her book down and looked apologetically towards Lily who looked like she was on the verge of breaking down completely. Without another word, Isabella stood up, went round the large table that sat between her and Lily and wrapped her arms around her. "If it helps, Severus is an IDIOT," she whispered in Lily's ear, making her smile a little despite the tears that streamed down her face. A moment passed when neither said anything and simply sat in silence, giving Lily enough time to deal with the shock of it all.

"Come on, I'm starving, let's get out of here," said Isabella at long last, and Lily nodded. They got up and packed their stuff and, on their way out, Isabella made an entry for the book she had held for the fifteen minutes that Lily and Severus argued for. "Severus has changed, Izzy..." Lily said out of nowhere, shaking her head to herself. "I'm rather scared of what he's becoming... It's slow but blatantly evident..." she said, staring into empty space. "He's become a snob all of a sudden, you know? He snaps at me, looks down upon me, insults me sometimes, is extremely short on temper of late... I mean, I don't even _know_ him anymore!" she muttered, looking worriedly at Isabella. Another painful moment passed as the two of them broiled in yet another bout of unimaginable awkwardness.

"How much did you hear?" Lily finally mustered up the courage to ask her as they made their way to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Quite a bit, I'm afraid," Isabella replied truthfully, making Lily cringe.

"Remus is going to _kill_ me!" she groaned, almost shuddering at the thought.

"Oh, that?! No, I still have no clue what that was about, Lily, so you're fine," she assured, finally managing to relax Lily's facial muscles. "And don't worry, I don't want to know what Remus's big secret is, but..." she stopped in mid-sentence and read Lily's expression before continuing, "as your friend, I ought to be honest with you, I think..." she said and surveyed her friend a bit.

"Hit me," Lily simply said, bracing herself for good measure.

"Well, Lily, I think... I think Severus _does_ have a point, you know?" Lily's eyebrows shot up far and high in her forehead at this sudden anti-climax statement. "Don't get me wrong, but unlike you, Severus has does not have that many people he can call as 'friends'. Literally no one to fall back on, you know? He has only you and, hard as it may be to admit, but he's not wrong to feel you ought to take his side when it concerns the Marauders."

"You think I don't know that?" Lily asked weakly, her exasperation more than evident. "It's just... He drains me, Iz. He whines and sulks _all the time_ , enough to make me want to pull my hair out! He is not even _remotely_ capable of forgiving people and it's _tiresome_..."

Isabella simply smiled. "Doesn't he remind you of someone else who was like that when we first started here?" she asked, speaking about herself. "If you recall correctly, I was the exact same too, a couple of years ago. I was bullied too, by James and Sirius for being fat and slow when I first came here and it's taken me forever to feel better about myself... Of course, things have changed now, because of Quidditch, but the scars are still there, Lily..."

Lily's face fell instantly. "Oh, I hate James!" she declared crossly. "I mean, the NERVE to think that he's better than everyone else, and for _what_? For having a head full of _dung_?!" she said, grinding her teeth for full measure.

"Are you forgetting about his _girlfriend_? Sirius is even WORSE, the plonker! Him and I were practically joined at the hip growing up and I _know_ how much fun we used to have playing together, so if he ever told you I am as boring a troll, DON'T believe him! And to think I was suddenly 'invisible' to his eyes the minute we stepped into Hogwarts truly did hit me like a storm! He was suddenly _embarrassed_ by me and how I looked and wanted to have _nothing_ to do with me!" she said, feeling her temper rising once again. "So, basically, I'm still mad at him, I still WON'T forgive him and funnily enough, I can't STOP thinking about him _either_!" she almost shrieked, making her voice echo through the empty corridor.

Lily had to do everything in her power to not burst out laughing at the murderous expression on Isabella's face.

"Anyway, my point is," she finally said, forcing herself to calm down by fanning her red hot face (Lily's restrain was short-lived and was laughing zealously at her best friend now), "your situation is really tricky, but I think Severus might be right this time..."

Lily's laughter died away instantly. Gaping disbelievingly at Isabella, she bit her bottom lip, deep in thought, as the two of them bustled into the noisy Great Hall. "Alright, _fine_!" she groaned and marched towards the Gryffindor table, although still undeniably disturbed. Their end of the hall was, as usual, bursting with activity, as fellow House-mates plopped mountains of food onto their plates as if they'd been starved for days within these walls. Isabella and Lily joined their friends, who still had their books and quills and parchments spread all over them as they feasted on the food.

As soon as they approached though, Claiborne and Mary's faces lit up. "Hi, there, _Princess_!" cooed Claiborne, wiggling her eyebrows at her. "Mr Evantrap wanted me to give you this!" she said, grinning teasingly.

"Ryan?!" asked Isabella, taken aback and turned slightly pink in the face. Taking the note in her hand, she looked up to find Ryan chatting away to glory with Sirius, Peter and a whole bunch of sixth and seventh-year boys a little down the long table.

"Someone's got themselves a _boyfriend_..." hummed Mary from across the table, prompting Isabella to throw a handful of lettuce at her whilst fighting the urge to smile herself.

' _Princess_ ,' it read on the outside and Isabella flushed immediately. Bracing herself, she opened the little parchment and inside, in beautiful writing, were the words, ' _Just wanted to say you look beautiful today..._ '

Isabella instantly scrunched up her nose in wild embarrassment and her skin prickled all over with goosebumps.

"Blithering barnacles, he did _NOT_ just write that!" yelled James, who had secretly read the message over Isabella's shoulder and was looking positively nauseated. "Why, I mean WHY do men completely _lose_ it when a girl comes _a-knocking_?! I just... I don't understand it!" he guffawed loud enough for Ryan to hear, and shaking his head in utter mock-disillusionment.

The teasing snicker that played on James's lips, though, was enough to make a hippgriff want to light itself on fire!

"Piss off, Potter!" Ryan called back, grinning sheepishly.

"You deserved that," Isabella said to James in a low voice. "Hush, Williams, I'm only doing you a favour, you know?" he sniggered back at her, making her sigh exasperatedly. "Be honest, did you appreciate that even in the slightest?" he said, already laughing so much that his eyes were starting to water.

"No! But don't make it so _obvious_!" she said through gritted teeth and resisted an urge to crash her fist into his skull. Unfortunately though, this only made James, laugh even more! Clutching his stomach for good measure, he literally had to lean onto Isabella for support as he continued to laugh away to his heart's content.

"James, you prat!" she muttered, dancing under his weight. From the corner of her eye, Isabella noticed Sirius's head cock to a side to see what the commotion was about and soon enough, he broke off from the boys' conference too and ambled towards them to join in on the conversation, Peter strutting _right_ behind him (Ryan, Isabella noticed, was craning his neck over the heads of his friends to catch a glimpse of her).

"What's going on?" Sirius asked, very intrigued by James's blood red face.

"Just... Ryan... He's... Mate, you should read his note here!" James spluttered, still howling his lungs away. " _He's so WHIPPED_!" he said, making the hand gesture for emphasis.

Sirius's eyes met Isabella's for a brief second and found her begging him to do some damage control. Winking at her he spoke, quite unable to control the smirk bursting at the corners of his lips. "Right, and I suppose you think _you're_ the 'Smooth King' the world needs to learn from, eh, mate?" he offered, now looking purple in the face from his efforts keep a straight face.

James nodded arrogantly, still weak from hearty laughter. "It's like we share _one_ brain, Pads!"

Lily, who had found it very hard to sit there and watch this go on for so long, finally seemed to take it no more. Rolling her eyes, she said, "You know, Potter, you would be much more _likeable_ if it wasn't for that hole in your face that noises come out of!" she snapped, almost like a reflex action.

Suddenly a noise as that of someone choking on their own vomit filled the air, as James exclaimed and dramatically clutched at his chest in disbelief. Looking wide-eyed at his friends, he looked like he couldn't believe this was really happening. "Did she just...? _Talk_ to me...?"

The girls all groaned in unison. "Ugh! How do you have the _energy_ , James, good _Merlin_!" exclaimed Claiborne from the sides, but nothing was going to dissuade him now, unfortunately.

Excitement levels were sky-rocketing now as James looked at Lily as if she was the fairest lady in all the land! Sirius cursed under his breath and jumped up to avert the impending _disaster_ that was heading their way. "Now, Prongs, honestly—"

"— _ANNOUNCEMENT_!" James exclaimed to the general public. Sirius slapped his own forehead and cringed wildly in embarrassment whilst hiding his face behind his large hand. Several heads had turned towards James by now, and Sirius was left sniggering helplessly to himself.

"Someone should ban you fifth-year boys from the Great Hall!" Calum Harper, another seventh-year, cheekily called out.

Waving him off, James continued. "Let me just say that right now, this very second, is a _momentous_ time in James Potter's life, ladies and gentlemen!" he declared, spreading his hands out and addressing whoever was willing to listen to him. In response to that, a couple of seventh-year boys showered him with food scraps from the back that he playfully ducked from; Peter was bent double in laughter while Sirius continued to his his face in inexplicable shame. "Because, believe it or not," he continued, looking keenly into the faces two tiny Ravenclaws from the table next to their, "I finally managed to get Lily Evans to _talk_ to me without having to _provoke_ her!" he sniggered, and swung around enthusiastically to beam into the bored face of Lily. Still grinning from ear to ear, he said, "I must say though, baby, the wait was TOTALLY worth it, good heavens!" he hummed and eagerly bent low getting seductively close to her face.

Perhaps he saw something etched in Lily's expression, because a second later, something flickered in his eyes and his face changed completely, going from being nauseatingly flirtatious to _downright concerned_ in under two seconds. In that instant, the world around him seemed to disappear; all childish playfulness flew right out of the window and got replaced by a grim, solemn expression; all that existed for him in that instant was the crestfallen face of Lily... Nothing else mattered, not even the fact that they were being gawked upon by a whole bunch of people smack in the middle of the Great Hall. Clawing on to her gaze, he shifted a little and asked, "Are... Are you alright...?" his voice low and dripping with genuine concern.

A flash of surprise crossed her eyes, as he continued to hold her gaze, scowling a little. It was unbelievable how he saw right through her like that. Blinking distractedly, she quickly recovered.

"Of—Of course! Never been better!" Lily lied coldly, but this time, it triggered an even bigger volley of astonishment from her girlfriends. Because, never before has Lily ever ' _answered_ ' a question that was posed by James Potter, not without first making it downright brutal at least! Sirius, Isabella noticed, also seemed mildly impressed...

None of this registered in James's mind, however, as he simply stared back at her, his features still etched with worry. Without another word, he instinctively turned around and looked straight at the Slytherin table to find Severus's eyes fiercely hooked on to Lily, looking _more_ dour than usual—and that was all he needed to see, because he knew immediately what Lily's problem might be about. His face hardened at the revelation and he shook his head a little in disbelief. Giving Lily one last hard glance of disapproval, he mutely got up and strode back towards the bunch of older boys, leaving a void behind him. Isabella thought he was secretly _fuming_ on the inside, but couldn't be sure.

"What's up with him?" asked Peter, completely oblivious to the mood around him.

Sirius smirked at his friend. "Read the room, Peter!" he said and threw his hand around his shoulder before steering him away from the girls one more time.

James and Lily ended up avoiding each other for full measure after that little exchange in the Great Hall, for reasons unknown to the rest of them.

The rest of the weekend was spent in the Common Room, hidden behind heaps and heaps of parchments and books, as the fifth-years (surprisingly, including the Marauders) worked hard as one big unit and helped each other out with their homework (and by ' _help_ ,' it meant shameless ripping off of Isabella and Claiborne's finished Transfiguration and Charms essays by _The Plonker Himself_ ). Edgar, perhaps, was slightly more courteous and offered to help with the research at least as he and Alice worked together on their Potions essay.

"Excellent work, today, class!" clapped Slughorn, on Wednesday morning, grinning happily at the bubbling cauldrons in front of him. "A very talented bunch, I must say," he continued, chuckling a little, his belly jingling with the effort. "Make sure to submit your homework by end of Friday and students with the best essays _might just win an invitation to the party in the evening_!" he called out happily as the bell rang. There was a scraping, as everyone stuffed their backpacks with their belongings when Isabella noticed Slughorn approaching Lily and Severus's table in front of her. " _Exceptional_ brewing skills Mr. Snape, I think you just earned your House ten very well deserved points for that near perfect concoction of Invigoration Draught!" he gushed, making Lily beam at him in happiness. "Also, I'd very much like to see you and Ms. Evans here at the party, on Friday!"

James clenched his jaw in annoyance, and graced them with a look that could've killed a dragon! Sirius noticed it too and almost resisted an urge to roll his eyes at his thick friend, who mutely shoved his scales back into his bag and stormed out of the class. Giving Remus and Peter a knowing look, Sirius hurriedly packed his bag too and trotted after James on 'bro-duty.'

"So, it looks like career-planning from this year on is going to be slightly different, did y'all hear about it?" asked Frank Longbottom, a sixth-year Ravenclaw student, sitting on the ledge next to Sirius and Remus in the Wooden Bridge, where several students were chatting their stress away. Incidentally, most of the fifth years and Frank seemed to have had a free period at the same time and it looked like he'd decided to spend it with the Marauders instead.

As far as Isabella knew, if there was _one_ person that the Marauders absolutely loved and celebrated as their own " _brother_ " apart from themselves, that person was Frank Longbottom. She didn't how they ended up getting so close because, one, he was year above them, two, he was from a _whole other House_ , and three, he was not ONE bit as reckless as them; if anything, he was the polar opposite of what defined the Marauders: extremely mature and well-behaved, unbelievably obedient and irritatingly methodical!

"What d'you mean?" asked Remus.

"Well, it looks like the Ministry wants to tighten security on the back of rumours of a Dark Wizard rising, and don't seem to have enough hands on board to fight him off. So, they may make it mandatory for all students, fifteen years and above, to apply for the Auror program this year! Also, it looks like Dumbledore has agreed to keep Hogwarts as the initial training grounds for young Aurors..."

"You can't be serious!" said Edgar, looking particularly pleased with this information. "I've _always_ wanted to be one, now I won't have to work so hard?!" he grinned sheepishly.

"Not so fast, you still have to pass the exams, mate!" he sniggered. "It's not official yet, but the school is planning on keeping a very N.E.W.T-like exam from fifth-year onwards this year, so you lot stand to get inducted into the program too!"

"What's the deal?" asked Isabella out of nowhere. "He's ONE wizard, how long would it take for them to capture him and throw him in Azkaban?"

"I don't think you understand the enormity of the problem here, Izzy," replied Remus. "He's not just some _wizard_ , he's more like the _voice_ of several thousand Purists of the world. Firstly, I doubt if he's any _ordinary_ wizard who's threatening to wreak havoc in our world, he must be someone really powerful, someone even the Ministry fears."

"Secondly, even if he's somehow captured, his supporters may rally against the Ministry and the whole thing stands to blow out of proportion... Basically, it's fraught with complications..." Edgar concluded for Remus.

"But, I don't understand! Why hasn't a formal announcement of this been made?! If we're going to have N.E.W.T's this year, we have less than _eight months_ to prepare!" squeaked Lily, looking aghast.

"So, _that's_ why they've been dumping us with so much work of late!" exclaimed Sirius, having a sudden revelation of sorts.

"What does it matter to you? All you ever do is ' _borrow_ ' our homework," Isabella shot back.

"I'd really only blame _you_ for that, you know?" Lily said, being the irritating ' _voice of reason_ ' when she least needed it. "Anyway, good talk, but free period's over and some of us need to get back to classes, so adios!" she declared and swung her bag over her shoulder.

"Is it time already?!" Isabella exclaimed, looking at her watch.

"Whoa, what's that?!" Sirius gasped and grabbed hold of her wrist, examining it as if it was pure gold studded with emeralds all around.

Isabella rolled her eyes. "It's a _wristwatch_ , Sirius," she replied, yanking her hand away from his grip and walking towards the castle with the rest of the fifth-years.

"What does it do? And this one's _far_ too big for you tiny hand, don't you think?"

"It tells _time_! And I like it big..." she muttered.

Sirius's eyes widened. "YOU _DO_ , do you?!" Sirius chuckled teasingly whilst gracing her with the most petulant wink ever, making her roll her eyes yet again in complete and utter disgust. "Tell you what, _give it to me_..." he growled, battling with the latch on the large, black steel watch for _well_ over a MINUTE (only _very slightly_ exaggerating this), "...and I won't tell James what you just said!" he said, finally managing to break the mega science behind it and grinning away with her watch strapped neatly around _his_ wrist.


	5. Pride & Prejudice

**Chapter 5: Pride & Prejudice**

* * *

Isabella avoided everyone's eye for the good part of Friday's morning after getting ribbed mercilessly by her fellow dorm-mates. And, every time she looked at the magical flower bouquet with the golden butterflies fluttering above it, she couldn't help but cringe a little... What she didn't realise, however, was the fact that, the more she reacted, the more it encouraged her friends to rag her about Ryan's unabashed display of affections for her.

And in all honesty, Isabella was slightly taken aback that he felt so strongly for her, because, never before had someone expressed even the slightest amount of interest in her till Quidditch happened. All said and done, though, she wasn't complaining much—he was extremely good-looking and _he_ wanted _her_ despite being * _supremely_ * far out of her league!

"Nonsense! You never give yourself enough credit, Izzy," Claiborne chided in a hushed voice in Binns' class that afternoon. History was the _only_ time in the day when she and her friends got to relax even a little bit (everyone, except Lily, of course, who was scratching away frantically, hanging on to Binns' every word). "And put that Daily Prophet inside, please, I'm sick of these morbid headlines screaming at us every morning!" she added, looking at it reproachfully. "Coming back to the point though, for what you were to what you have become _now_ ," she paused and gestured to all of Isabella, "I'd say you're _off your rocker_ to think that you're not worth it!"

"I'm just saying, there are far prettier girls out there who'd gladly throw themselves at a boy like Ryan and here he is, calling me ' _princess!_ '" she said, even as she opened up a paper rocket that Mary had slyly sent her way a second ago to find a crude drawing of a girl and boy kissing with little hearts fluttering above their heads. Isabella rolled her eyes and crumpled up the piece of parchment a bit more fiercely than required.

Claiborne snorted at the note herself. "Well, I know what you mean, Izzy, the poor bloke doesn't know _what_ he's getting himself into!" she whispered, chuckling long and hard into her hand. Isabella stifled a smirk too and nudged her hard to make her stop teasing her.

"Don't you dare, Clay!" she started, but it was too late.

"You know, I bet he hasn't seen you stuff your face with a whole chicken..."

"...I've _never_ done that!"

"...nor does he know how _unbelievably_ devoid of emotions you are!" Claiborne spluttered, wiping her face from the controlled laughter. "Honestly, if you remove this pretty thing," she said, gesturing to Isabella's thin, small face, "you're really such a _boy_ on the inside!"

"That's preposterous!" Isabella coughed violently, feigning deep hurt.

"Think about it, Izzy, you're reckless as hell, you don't know the first thing about 'dressing up,' you waltz around the corridors wearing that _hideous_ hoodie sweater and trainers..."

"...it's comfortable!" she hissed back.

"...and have you _seen_ the way you shake hands with Malfoy?! That's a red alert, right there! And you're brilliant at Quidditch, meaning more time smelling like _Fang_ and less time in front of the mirror! D'you want me to go on?"

"Oh, do go on, I _beg_ of you!" said someone from the back. Isabella and Claiborne froze in mid-conversation and whipped around to find a very amused-looking Remus eavesdropping on them, her long brown hair swishing over her back. She gaped at his mischievous smile for a second and narrowed her eyes at him. "Why aren't you taking notes like you normally do?" she whisper-yelled, hiding behind her large textbook.

"I was till you two started talking!" he chuckled back, making sure to never remove his eyes off of Binns. "We boys never have such riveting topics to discuss, you know?" he added cheekily, his face oozing with genuine appreciation.

Isabella narrowed her eyes at him. "You know, you're not as innocent as you come off, you're the devil, Lupin!"

"Truer words were never spoken," grinned Peter, crouching next to Remus. "Where do you think all the ideas for our pranks come from, eh?"

Remus winked wickedly making Claiborne and Peter break into silent sniggers. Silence fell once more as the two of them turned back towards Binns and pretended to listen to the dead voice of their History teacher. A moment later, however, Claiborne suddenly pulled Isabella closer to her and whispered something so that no one else can hear them. "Why are you doing this, though, Izzy?"

"Doing what?"

" _Going out with Ryan_ , obviously..." she whispered and graced her with a blank expression. "If I knew you better, I'd say he's probably the last person you would want to be with..."

"Don't be mean, Clay, he's nice."

"That's not a reason to go out with _anyone_?!" she exclaimed, looking aghast. Shaking her head slightly she said, "I have a bad feeling that you're about to do something for all the wrong reasons..."

" _Bavarian Erkling_ , drop it for heaven's sake!"

"No! D'you even like him?" she came straight to the point.

Isabella went pale all over as soon as the words slipped out of her mouth. She was stumped for words and she knew how stupid she must look to Claiborne right now, what with her gaping nonsensically at her best friend. "Well, what do you expect me to do, lie on my back and hope that one day, just _maybe_ , Sirius would drink a love potion and fall irreversibly in _love_ with me?!"

"Well, no, obviously, but..."

"'But' _nothing_! I have to move on, Clay... It's high time I did," she whispered, uncharacteristically fighting a painful lump in her throat. "I can't be stuck on him forever! I need to show myself that Sirius really is _not_ all that special...!" she hissed and turned her face away from her friend's penetrating gaze.

Binns' slow drone drowned the silence that fell between them. Before long though, Claiborne flashed her an apologetic smile and said, "I'll be here though, if you ever want to talk, okay?" before comfortingly locking her hand with hers. In the seat before them, Mary leaned back nonchalantly too and parted just the corners of her lips. "Me too."

It was an overcast, murky day and the mood around the castle seemed to match it as well. Wherever Isabella went, she found the Daily Prophet clutched tightly in the hands of her fellow classmates, as the news of mysterious killings of an ancient clan in the Isles of Dorn made its rounds. Apparently, authorities have no idea how more than twelve members of the clan had been found dead in odd places in the middle of the night without even the slightest trace of intrusion. The news seemed to have torn the castle into two since morning and students continued to broil in its aftermath well past lunch.

"And they say this is just the _beginning_!" Mary whispered through gritted teeth as the girls crossed a bunch of Hufflepuffs huddled in a corner, speaking in angry, hushed voices. Lily was walking a little ahead of them alongside Severus while Claiborne had trotted off with Peter and Remus. "Wonder what could be worse than _twelve_ _people_ dropping dead for no reason!" she hissed, walking out of a grueling Ancient Runes class.

The castle, Isabella noticed, had suddenly sunk into an unwonted quiet, as the girls waded through the student population, warding off tense stares and cold indifference from a group of Slytherins on their right; she had spent five long years here to know right away that, there was definitely something ominous going around her going by everyone's stiff body language. And, despite the warmth that filled her when she spotted Lucius chatting with his group, however, she could not help but feel immensely claustrophobic. Bracing herself a little she nudged Alice on the side and whispered, "D'you also get the feeling that someone's plotting your death right this second?" whilst pointedly frowning at the disagreeable expression on Narcissa Black's face.

"You couldn't have said it better," Alice replied even as Lucius wriggled himself out of the crowd and ambled towards them, sporting a satisfied grin on his face.

"You lot take the whole ' _Slytherin Snarl_ ' concept far too seriously, don't you?" Isabella asked Lucius, biting the side of her cheek to keep herself from smirking.

Lucius merely threw his head back and laughed at her comment before slowing down to the girls' pace. "Well, it is _precious_ , though, isn't it?" he spluttered, running his hand through his silky blond hair. "But, no, today, especially, there's a bit of an overdose of 'The Snarl' because some Puffs ticked off Mulciber and Crabbe so much that Mulce actually _hexed_ the lad!" he guffawed and broke into yet another bout of laughter. Isabella's eyes widened in shock as she and Alice gaped mutely at him.

"Oh my god, that's _terrible_! Where's Mulciber now?! And is the boy alright?"

"Of course!" Lucius casually shrugged and waved off their baffled expressions. "Just an innocent Bat-Bogey Hex… Besides, Béchanac totally had it coming; he shouldn't have called all purebloods ' _sappy-eyed, dung-mouthed knobheads_ '!. Watch your backs, lads, the Puffs are coming!" he yelled at Ted Farley and Adrian Pelleret on the way, his fellow House-mates, who enthusiastically grinned and flashed thumbs-ups at him before ambling back into the castle.

"You say that as if they're a bunch of bunnies waging a war on a herd of _hippogriffs_!" Isabella retorted, still unable to shake off the shock at how casually Lucius was talking about the incident.

He flashed her a cocky smile. "Well, aren't they?"

"I don't think so..." Alice replied urgently looking straight ahead, her features screaming mad panic all of a sudden. Before Isabella could even wonder what Alice was talking about, however, her scream nearly tore into her eardrums. " _LOOK OOOUT_!"

There was a blinding flash that had shot out of nowhere and missed Isabella by mere inches! Ducking back instinctively, she swung around to find Vernon Béchanac and several other Hufflepuff boys hurtling towards them and wreaking havoc by throwing about random curses at any and every Slytherin member present in the scene! Confusion and panic set in instantly, as several Slytherins responded by attacking them back with meaner and _deadlier_ curses!

"Bella, GET BACK!" yelled Lucius and pushed her behind him before getting into an amateurish duel with Gerald Clarilli, a sixth-year Hufflepuff. Isabella held on to Lucius's cloak and frantically looked around for Alice only to find her crouching on the floor in mortal peril. Several spells screeched and clashed all around her as Lucius moved about violently, trying to ward off the attackers as best as he could. Trembling feverishly, she realised the longer they fought, the hotter it got!

"That your best shot?!" Albert Crabbe's irritating voice was heard over the screeches and clashes.

"YOU WISH!" growled back Peter Morse, slashing him with a _ jinx. Adrenaline was raging all around her and the situation steadily slipped out of control with every passing second.

Still holding on to her dear life, Isabella frantically looked around to find a way to wriggle out of this mess when her eyes fell on a fellow fifth-year Hufflepuff named Lance Whittaker, who had latched on to an unsuspecting Lucius and triumphantly took aim with his wand.

"Lance, NO!" she yelled before screaming, " _Expelliarmus_!" making his wand shoot out of his hand, much to his utter disbelief. Lucius threw a punch at Gerald and sent him howling to the floor before swinging around to see what had happened with Isabella. "You lot must be out of your MINDS, pulling off a stunt like this in broad DAYLIGHT!" she screamed at Lance, over and above the noise of screeching spells, punches and grunts still resounding all around them.

"STAY _OUT_ OF THIS, WILLIAMS!" Lance growled back, looking daggers at her. "You don't know what these tossers said to Vernon and unlike popular belief, we're _not_ a bunch of sissies who'd _bake a cake_ while we get our backsides whupped!" he glared so intensely, Isabella almost doubled back a little. "This is just us sending out a clear warning. Let us be and we shall let you LIVE!" he snarled particularly at Lucius and the rest of the Slytherin roughies, even as Alice scabbered up to Isabella's side and glanced around looking flustered.

"'Let us _live_ ' was it?!" leered Crabbe from Lucius's side, looking delighted at being provoked. "Time we turned the heat on a bit more then, eh, mate?!" he laughed meanly and clapped Lucius loudly on the back even as the blond put a protective arm around Isabella and Alice and attempted to usher them away to safety.

"Don't push it, Crabbe!" Lance warned, his wand at the ready.

"I'd listen to him!" Alice offered out of nowhere, throwing Crabbe a look of pure disgust.

"Shut up, Parker," Lucius snapped at her over his shoulder.

" _Sod off_ , Malfoy!" she snarled back and looked just as murderous as the rest of the heaving and raging Hufflepuff boys around them.

"Alice, shut UP!" Isabella muttered and clenched her teeth for emphasis, but Alice merely retaliated with a, "NO, Izzy, it's about time! Someone needs to stand up to these blood-obsessed bunch of _morons_!" Lucius's expression changed instantly, hardening as ice Isabella was almost losing it now as she envisioned this tiny spat turn into a _communal war of the Houses_!

" _Oh, you are SO going to pay for that_!" yelled Rabastan Lestrange and almost threw his hand up to hit her with something Isabella could only imagine to be one's WORST nightmares when someone called out, "NOT likely!"

Almost instantly, ALL of their wands shot out of their hands and clattered noisily on the floor behind a furious Dumbledore. Isabella quickly noticed that he was surrounded by a horde of other extremely angry-faced staff members, including McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick, Slughorn, Elanor Elfbough (their DADA professor), Madame Lorraine Abolet (their Divination professor), Filch ( _and_ Mr. Belphegor at his heels), and finally, Lily and Severus who looked a little triumphant, suggesting that they were the ones who had called on the professors. Isabella's embarrassment knew no bounds, her whole body going numb with every passing second.

There was a long silence when no one spoke, or dared to move, while Dumbledore stood there staring silently at the lot of them through bridge of his cooked nose.

Then he said, "What is going on here?"

His stance was deceptively calm but the look on Dumbledore's face was so fierce and so _beyond_ deadly, it almost made Isabella's blood run cold. Fear and panic set in almost instantly and her heart hammered against her chest. Turning her head just a fraction, she noticed that everyone had frozen on the spot too, just like her, and looked equally fearful as she felt.

" _They_ started it, professor..." mumbled a forlorn-looking Crabbe, pointing shamelessly at the Hufflepuff boys.

"Béchanac?" Sprout asked curtly, making his skin burn red in embarrassment.

"I—" he began before hanging his head in shame. "It's true, professor..." he muttered, looking at his shoes. "I let myself get out of control. I'm sorry..."

"It doesn't just end with accepting blame, Mr Béchanac!" McGonagall spat out tersely, looking at the group of boys and girls like they were filth. Isabella nearly jumped out of her skin when McGonagall spoke again. "You have broken at least eight school rules in just the last thirty minutes and, thanks to _you_ , the consequences of it will be borne by ALL..."

"...but, professor!" Lance spluttered, looking bewildered beyond expression at the unfairness. "The Slytherins... They... They did this on purpose! They said things about us muggle-borns JUST so that they could get us to retaliate...!"

"Irrelevant!" McGonagall silenced him, looking daggers at the company. The other professors nodded in full agreement, looking grimmer than ever. "I expected more from you, Vernon, especially because, you're also a _prefect_! This kind of behaviour is _unacceptable_ and, I propose to strip you off the position effective immediately!"

"Consider it done," Sprout said without even batting a eyelid, sending out a collective gasp from the students around them. A loud murmur broke out all around them at once, as the shock wave hit them all in large ripples. Vernon was, hands down, one of the most favorite of all the prefects that walked the corridors of Hogwarts this year, because of his lively sense of humour and his good nature. Isabella knew that this step would come as a terrible shock to everyone (she even secretly hoped that the decision would cause a mutiny-like situation in the school as she silently fumed to herself).

"Fifty points will be deducted for every student involved in this racket!" squeaked Flitwick, prompting a second even bigger round of gasps from the onlookers. It was gut-wrenching to think that she had managed to lose fifty points all at once for Gryffindor THIS early in the year! She looked up and caught Lily's apologetic eyes and thought Lily looked like she might faint any second now.

"And detention for all for a month!" McGonagall concluded, triggering loud cries of disbelief from the students around them. Isabella gritted her teeth in pure frustration because, she knew not all of them truly felt sorry for the bunch; more than half of them were here merely for entertainment. Twitching her hands nervously, she looked up with pleading eyes. "Please, professor, Alice had nothing to do with any of this. She was merely a bystander who got caught in the middle of it..." she trailed off.

Dumbledore still didn't say anything while his eyes continued to scream out his disappointment in her.

"Very well, then," he said, not taking his eyes off of Isabella even for a second. "Miss Parker shall be excused. The rest of you, however, _will_ face punishment," he stated plainly.

Everyone shuffled uncomfortably on the spot while he continued. "As the Headmaster of this school, it is my duty to let everyone know that for as long as I am in-charge, I will not tolerate _any_ kind of loathing towards _any_ class of students, irrespective of what's happening outside these four walls. No student shall be spared, no matter their Family names or blood statuses," he said calmly, but a fire was burning in his eyes. "I must also warn you that if any one does anything like this again, I will have no choice but to expel them. Off to classes now, everyone," he said

Everyone jumped on the spot and immediately started to scramble about, shoving their backpacks over their shoulders and scampering out of the corridor at once. Filch, Isabella noticed, graced them all with one more look of pure disdain before filing out of the hall himself, making everyone let out the breath they all held in for so long.

"What in the world is _wrong_ with you, Alice!" Isabella chided even as Lily came running towards them, her features etched with worry. "That was mighty reckless, what you did back then!"

"I agree," Lucius leered, peering at the girls through the bridge of his nose. "You have NO idea what you've attracted for yourself!"

"Yeah. I bet _you'd_ know all about it, won't you? You're like their cult LEADER after all?!" she snapped back, glaring murderously in his direction. "Don't feign innocence, Malfoy, you're just as much a threat to us muggle-borns as the _rest_ of them are!"

"Alice!" yelled Isabella, looking gobsmacked beyond expression. Alice merely glared back at her, almost as if challenging Isabella to prove her wrong.

Of the four dorm mates that Isabella was friends with, the one person that she found it hardest to get along with was Alice, because she often found it difficult to deliver her blows without entirely _mutilating_ the person at the receiving end and Isabella detested this trait of hers with a burning passion.

Lucius looked at Isabella, his jaw tightly clenched in hurt.

"What in the world is the _matter_ with you?" she hissed into Alice's blood-red face.

Alice merely raised an eyebrow. "Are you honestly siding with _him_?!" she yelled, pointing at Lucius as if he was a blood-sucking, two-faced acramantula. "How daft could you _get_ , Izzy?!"

"ENOUGH!" Lily screamed, staring between Isabella and Alice. "We all have a class to get to, so I'd rather we put an end to this nonsense this instant and start MARCHING!" she yelled, as the two girls continued to glare at each other.

Eyeing Alice most unforgivingly, she hissed, "You're the last person I expected this from, Alice." And with that, she mutely held Lucius by his forehand and dragged him as far away from her friends as possible, trying her best to not let her angry tears roll down her face. What Isabella could not understand was that for some reason, everyone _always_ looked at him in the bad light and she wasn't sure if it was because of the haughty expression he sported all the time or the slimy blond hair that sat on his head. Either way, it was frustrating, _even for her_ , to see him get blamed for all the wrong that happens around them All. The. Time!

"Bella, slow down," said Lucius and held her back by her hand.

"We're _late_ to class, Lucius!" she spat out, and tried to wrench her hand out of his hold, still fuming on the inside.

"Exactly, we're VERY late to class, there's no point going all the way down there now. Might as well just cool off before Potions!" he said decidedly and brought her to a halt. The two of them ended up staring at each other, Lucius looking mildly disgruntled while Isabella was practically breathing fire!

And just like that, all of a sudden, his face cracked into a teasing smirk. "Merlin's beard, why do you look like you ate a _dragon_?" he grinned, cocking a teasing eyebrow at her.

Isabella ground her teeth even more. "Stop it, Lucius!" she grated, still trying to wriggle out of his grip.

"Stop _what_? I am not _doing_ anything!" he chuckled even more, clearly doing EVERYTHING under the sun to tickle her further.

"THIS close to hexing you too, Lue!" she said, through clenched teeth, making him break into full blown laughter now.

"Alright, fine!" he gave in, still laughing uncontrollably. "It's just very rare to see you this riled up about nothing."

"It's _not_ nothing!" she shot back. "I just... I hate it when she does that! Why does she always DO that?!"

Lucius was still grinning lazily, eyeing her flushed cheeks. "What does it matter if she _does_?"

"It matters because she's my friend and _you're_ my friend too... She cannot talk to you that way!" she said, grinding her teeth and turning a deep shade of red around the ears at the same time as he watched her quizzically, clearly confused by her sudden ferocity. "I won't allow it..." she mumbled shyly whilst fully ignoring the baffled expression on his face. She couldn't blame him though, because her openly citing her emotions about someone was only rarer than sighting a UFO.

An expression that was a mixture of wild bafflement, mild embarrassment and that of winning the jackpot broke out on his face, making her wish he'd get struck by a lightening right that instant.

He bent down dramatically as if to get a better look at her apple-red face. "Whoa! _Excuse me_?! I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't quite hear you...!" he laughed and cupped his ear mockingly, making her roll her eyes coyly at him.

"You know what, Alice IS right. You _ARE_ hateful!" she spat out scathingly over and above his mad cackle.

Wiping the tears off his face, he threw his hand over her shoulder and led her out of the third floor corridor and towards the dungeons. "Anyway," he started. "It really does not matter because, I don't give a rat's arse about what Parker or _anyone else_ thinks of me," he said solemnly whilst giving her a sidelong look. Despite the smile on his face, Isabella could not help but notice the arrogance that was etched on his features. "Thank you, though, for being my Iron Lady."

Isabella beamed at him. "Oh, you've NOT a clue how much broccoli I had to eat for your sake!" she joked, and the two of them broke down laughing.

"So, I heard something in the grapevine..." Lucius began, looking at her curiously. "You and Evantrap...?"

Isabella sighed at the mere mention of his name. "Blimey, you heard it _too_?!" she said, rubbing her face in annoyance. "I... It's nothing big, I swear. It's just an invite to Slughorn's party tonight, that's all," she said, speaking really fast. "Although, honestly, he genuinely seems to like me and he _does_ seem like a really nice boy, so I still don't think it's a bad idea yet..."

"Oh, no. No, it's not a bad idea _at all_!" he said quickly, cutting into her guilty reasoning. For some reason, Isabella thought he also looked a bit relieved at the thought. "If I'm being honest, I'd say, it's about time you saw other people, really. Anything that will take your mind off of that blockhead, anyway!" he added darkly, giving her a knowing look. She merely rolled her eyes at him and walked on; Lucius and Sirius's 'love' for each other was world renowned, and there was nothing she could do about it except glare and huff.


	6. Proof & Prophecy

**Chapter 6: Proof & Prophecy**

* * *

The party was only short of a grand carnival raging away in one of the remotest dungeons of the school. Fairies here, fire-breathing gymnasts there, tiny elves carrying plates of food below, and a boisterous band playing music with the single aim of obliterating everyone's hearing ability on top does not BEGIN to explain how mad the party really was.

"...so, as I was saying, Beatrice is the 'go-to' witch if anyone needs to evade the Dementors, you know what I mean?!" Slughorn boomed cheerfully, his enormous belly merrily bouncing up and down as he laughed. Next to him, the highly hubristic Auror named Beatrice Orpington, smiled and delicately waved at the bunch of elderly warlocks, as if her being related to a former Minister of Magic somehow made her royalty.

"It's quite true, actually," she began, taking a gulp of mead from her goblet and confidently arching one of her thick eyebrows at a mousy little sorcerer standing closest to her, "it's all about making the right connections at the top, and _anyone_ can wriggle their way out of the Law's clutches," she flashed a wicked smile.

Slughorn threw his head backwards and howled about in laughter as the rest of the warlocks blinked about in confusion, unsure how to react to such a public display of malfeasance. Isabella was almost positive that Slughorn thought Orpington was merely being funny while the rest of the members around him slowly started to flash timorous smiles before breaking into a bout of fake-laughter too just because it was getting a bit too awkward to simply stand there and gawk.

"Always a delight having you with us, Bee!" he roared. He was steadily turning red in the face on account of the mead. "That's what's so magical about being among the elite few, MacDougal! You see, you'll never have another dull moment in your life when..." but before he could fully get into the details of how awesome his life was among the cream-class of the society, however, his eyes fell on someone even more important, leaving poor old Dermot MacDougal to gape stupidly in the middle of the hall as Slughorn shouted his greetings at yet another aged aristocratic warlock walking through the doors.

Isabella, on the other hand, was almost dozing off next to an equally exhausted Ryan, who looked like he too would rather pull his eyes out than listen to Slughorn boast about his Magical connections for another second. It was a good thing that Ryan thought her resting her head on his shoulder was a sign of winning the girlfriend-lottery, because Isabella could not, for the life of her, keep her eyes open and pretend to bask in Slughorn's every rehearsed exclaim and pause.

"Thirty more minutes, Izzy, I promise," he muttered apologetically against her hair, making her skin prickle all over. She immediately yanked her head off his shoulder and peered at him awkwardly, trying to ignore the throbbing in her head.

"Ha! You wish," Frank said darkly, appearing out of nowhere. "Apparently, there's going to be an elaborate dinner in sometime exclusively for students as Slughorn wants to get to 'know' us better," he rolled his eyes.

"So, the Bearer Of Bad News strikes again," Ryan chuckled in Frank's direction and put his hand out. "You all right there?" he asked, as the two sixth-years greeted each other.

"Hardly. Vernon is about to get sacked from the post, so many Puffs are getting roasted and scorned in the corridors for no reason since the afternoon, they lost _450_ points after they attacked the Slytherins today, and now, the Snakes are neck-and-neck with you Gryffies!"

"Hang on, Vernon's still not removed from the post as prefect, you say?" asked Isabella, her interest spiking up immediately.

"Yeah, well, the entire student body seemed to have made an appeal to Sprout, begging her to reconsider... So, it looks like there's a mini 'Hearing'-like thing going on in their Burrow even as we speak. Personally, though, I have no hopes for him because the 'jury panel'" he said, making air-quotes with his hands and rolling his eyes again, "has McGonagall, Flitwick and _Filch_ on it."

"Rotten dilligrout!" Isabella swore, grinding her teeth in anger.

"There's no way he'll make it as Head Boy now," rasped Ryan from her side. "Bloke showed tremendous promise, though!" he said, taking a sip from his goblet.

"TOTALLY! And I don't think we'll ever find a better candidate to take over as the president of The Mud Club!" exclaimed Isabella, making Frank and Ryan automatically raise their goblets in agreement.

"I swear, though, I will throw myself off the Astronomy Tower if the Snakes win the House Cup this year," Frank said bitterly.

Someone snorted loudly at that. "Yeah! Like we'd allow that," a very red Sirius guffawed from behind them, finally taking a break from _eating_ Marlene McKinnon's face (Isabella could NOT believe he had managed to eavesdrop on their conversation and focus on his grunt-filled french-kiss, all at the same time!). "But, I know what you mean. The school's on fire, and here we are, dancing away like it's nobody's business!" he said, tugging the beautiful Marlene closer to him by the waist.

"I don't see you complaining though!" James cheekily called out from his dark corner, skulking in the shadows for some odd reason.

"Black? Potter?!" exclaimed Ryan, his jaw hanging open in surprise. "What in the name of Merlin are you two doing here? This is an 'invitations-only' party!"

Frank snorted. "Even if that were true, someone had to spy on _Evans_ , obviously! Hence, the gate-crash. Savvy?" he wriggled his eyebrows suggestively before breaking off into a grin.

"Ah. Such wisdom..." Sirius gushed with exaggerated enthusiasm, eyeing him with full admiration, while the rest of them broke down laughing too at James's undeniable embarrassment. "What would I, nay, what would the _world_ do without you, Frankie!"

"Any girl you've not 'done' yet!" James lashed back, as the little company cracked up even more. If not for the unsettling expression spreading across Marlene's face, Isabella would've positively hugged James for saying that.

"Tell me they're lying, Siri-Poo..." Marlene purred and pouted playfully; irony was that, the whole school knew Marlene was an even bigger sleaze than Sirius was. Neither was looking for anything serious EVER, so them hooking up was the win-win combination of the century.

"Ignore them, darling, they're just jealous," Sirius cooed back and the two of them lovingly rubbed their noses against each other.

"I might actually drop dead if I have to see them suck each others' faces one more time," Isabella muttered to Ryan who grinned and gladly dragged her away from the Marauders (Isabella thought she heard Ryan mutter something like ' _Anything for you, babe._ '). But just as she was pushing past bodies around her led by Ryan, she ended up running straight into a tall, cloaked wizard who had his back to her.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, professor!" she spluttered as Dumbledore turned around in surprise.

"Ah! Miss Williams... What a pleasure to have run into you!" he chirped merrily, all sternness from the afternoon wiped clean from his face.

"Oh, yes. It's nice to see you too, professor!" she said, grinning awkwardly at the kind old face.

"Quite an unlikely encounter, I must say," he said, his eyes twinkling rather teasingly. "Or should I assume you were invited because you perfected the Draught Potion?" he added with a light chuckle.

Isabella grinned back at the obvious sarcasm in Dumbledore's voice, one she knew he was using because he detested Slughorn's obsession with bucketing students into 'classes.' "Like that's even a possibility in a world where Lily Evans is alive," she teased back, making him break into laughter. "No, I'm here with Ryan today, professor," she said, pushing him forwards.

"Possibly my next recommendation to the Goblin Liaison Office!" Slughorn chanted from next to Dumbledore, beaming appreciatively at a shy Ryan. "A most wonderful boy with an excellent sense for Potions, Albus, excellent!"

"Why, thank you, professor, but I'm really not that good," Ryan said modestly, pulling Isabella closer to him. Her eyes met Dumbledore's, whose eyebrows shot up instantly in mild surprise. She flushed.

"Nonsense!" Slughorn continued. "You're but a natural, dear boy! It runs in the family, in your BLOOD!" he shouted, but Dumbledore seemed to take no notice of him and continued to read Isabella's mind through his half-moon glasses, making her wish the ground would swallow her right up! "Your uncle and I were classmates back in the day, and must I say, was he a genius...?" he gushed on in the background, completely oblivious to being totally ignored by Dumbledore.

Surveying her for a second longer, he spoke in a quiet voice, "Friendships of the heart tend to be more meaningful than those formed to inflict pain, my dear," a slight smile cut his features.

Isabella could not BELIEVE her life had come down to this where she was discussing her _love life_ with her Headmaster! "P-Professor, it's not like that at all...!" she began.

"Oh, but I fervently hope _it is_!" he exclaimed, chuckling lightly at her before gracing her with a rare wink. "Give him hell," he whispered, covering his mouth with the back of his hand, taking her fully by surprise. Before she could control it, she had doubled up with laughter at this unexpected plot twist! "Oh, and I noticed that you've borrowed the 'Rise Fall Of The Sacred Age' from the library? You might want to consider reading the chapter titled, 'Woldorin Its Gryffindors.' Thought it might interest you," he smiled, finally touching his pointy hat as a way of taking her leave.

"Merlin, is it hard to find any alone time in this party?" Ryan sighed as he waved Slughorn goodbye.

"Honestly! Can we please get out? I'd rather walk barefoot around the Black Lake than go deaf in my left ear from all this noise!" Isabella begged as she noticed Sirius going to town with Marlene most brazenly for the whole world to see.

Giving her one good long look, Ryan grinned a bit to himself. "I think I might just fall in love with you," he muttered, giving her hand a good squeeze (...and for the first time ever, Isabella thought it might just be possible to like someone else after all...). Blushing furiously, she let him drag her by the hand, consumed by an odd fluttering that was rampant in her chest.

"We need to come up with a plan, though! What do we tell Slughorn?"

"I could just say I slipped and broke my leg!" Ryan suggested, shrugging uncertainly.

"Or I could actually kick you in the shins so you can make it more convincing!" she guffawed. Ryan almost spat his mead out as he burst out laughing at the thought.

It took them a solid quarter of an hour of lying, a couple of tears, several manufactured injuries and a whole pint of _blood_ to convince a shaken Slughorn that Ryan Evantrap, his biggest jewel, was actually planning on leaving early. When they finally dashed outside through the doors, however, the scene that met them nearly blew the air out of their lungs...

It was the oddest thing ever: right outside the party hall was a whole group of people who had no business staring at each other like they'd legit murder the other with their bare hands!

All wands at the ready, the closest to her was a homicidal-looking James followed by a disheveled Sirius-sans-Marlene, a stunned Frank, a teary-eyed Lily, a scowling Severus, an anxious Lucius restraining a blood-thirsty Sebastian Mulciber, and a haughty Thomas Nott!

Everyone turned around when Isabella and Ryan burst through the doors, as if jumping out of a reverie, and the scene sent chills down Isabella's spine.

"What, in the name of Merlin, are you lads up to THIS TIME?!" Ryan asked authoritatively, what with being a year senior to most people in this hallway.

"Nothing that concerns _you_ , Evantrap..." Mulciber spat out but was cut short by Lucius.

"Honestly, leave and get _her_ out of here too, we're handling it!" Lucius hissed, gesturing at Isabella.

"SHE'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" Lily screamed looking murderous, her face glistening with fat, hot tears. "Now, ANSWER ME, Severus! Did you know about this OR NOT?!" she shrieked, her voice pierced through the tunnel. James looked like his heart might just rip out of his chest to see her be this upset, while Isabella simply froze in her place, shocked beyond expression at how mad Lily was. She had NEVER seen Lily this way, neither could she ever think of a good-enough reason for her to be THIS BLOODY ANGRY.

Severus ground his teeth and fully avoided her accusatory eyes. More than anything, he looked like he was merely frustrated with Lily overreacting to whatever this was about. "Honestly, Lily. How many times do I have to tell you..."

"It's a 'Yes' or 'No' question, Snivellus!" Sirius spat out, looking more dangerous than Isabella had ever seen him before.

Giving Sirius one look of pure disgust, he arched an arrogant eyebrow, as if challenging him to use that tone one more time. However, when he realised everyone's gaze was fixated on him waiting for an answer, though, he blew out a sigh most begrudgingly, screwed his face up in irritation and said, "Yes, I may have..." through gritted teeth, sending a bolt of shock wave over Lily. She gaped disbelievingly at him for a second before fresh set of tears flowed down her face.

Next to Isabella, James, she knew, was doing EVERYTHING in his power to keep himself from hauling his body headfirst at Severus, no doubt under Frank's strict orders. "You filthy piece of _shit_!" he growled and took a threatening step towards him, but Frank, being slightly bigger than him, held him back effortlessly.

"OI!" he yelled at James, giving him a deadly ' _Keep-It-Together-Or-Get-Whacked_ ' look.

"You really knew about this?" Lily sobbed, her eyes the size of tennis balls now. "How could you DO this to me, Sev? I... _You humiliated me_! In front of EVERYONE!" she screamed and wrapped her hands around herself as if half expecting her clothes to fall off her body.

James turned and gave Isabella one hard look. "Take her up to our tower."

"That's a good idea," Lucius muttered, finally letting go of Sebastian with a look that suggested he'd rather eat dung than look at his smug face. "We've had quite enough for the night."

Sirius snorted. "D'you realise you lot have just started a war...? First the Puffs and now US!" he barked, his body tensing up with anger at once. "Listen to me and listen very, VERY carefully," he said, inching dangerously close to Lucius's haughty face. Shrugging off Frank's hand that had firmly gripped him on his shoulder to stop him from punching the poor blond, he continued, "If any of you come anywhere NEAR these two one more time," he said, pointing in Isabella's direction, "consider yourself dead," he glared right into Lucius's pale eyes; only then did Isabella realise how very tall both of them were.

Ignoring the heat that had risen up to her face, she watched him twirl on his heel, put a comforting hand around Lily's shoulder and led her right out of the dungeons. "Don't mess with us," Frank warned coldly, hardly taking his eyes off of Sebastian before putting a firm hand around James's shoulder and dragging him out of the dungeons too.

Not even a second had ticked since the room cleared and Sebastian actually had the plucks to snort in Isabella's direction and say, "She's lush too."

She did not even _register_ Lucius's hand swinging like a bullet to crash land over Sebastian's face and send him howling in pain to the floor. "Why didn't I let Black to actually FINISH you off?!" he spat out as Thomas Nott, who was doubled up in laughter bent down to help his fellow sixth-year friend up on his feet.

"Mate, what happened?" Ryan asked at once, just as Sebastian and Thomas turned the corner and left too.

"Long story," Lucius sighed whilst rubbing his swollen knuckles. "Mulce basically wanted to get back at Evans for calling on the professors earlier today and convinced Snape to lend him the Polyjuice Potion he had stashed away in his trunk. In short, he wanted to impersonate as Snape and go to the party with Evans and harass her in any way he could. Turns out, the bloke actually chose to... well..." he said, closing his eyes in complete aversion at the images playing in his head, "he groped her."

Isabella's hand flew to her mouth in shock! WHAT THE HELL WAS SHE ACTUALLY _HEARING_?!

"You're NOT serious!" she screamed at Lucius in complete shock. "He did NOT do that, PLEASE tell me he didn't do it, Lue!"

"Bella, please!" he said and held tightly her by her hands. "BEGGING you to not do something stupid and get yourself into Mulce's bad books, for goodness sake!" he whispered. "These lads are barking mad! They don't know where to draw the line, they don't know when _something_ is getting out of hand..."

"Lucius, they're as thick-headed as a bull frog! I think I can handle them quite fine, and Sirius IS right!" she stressed, grinding her teeth for full measure. "Mulciber is SO going to pay for what he did to Lily and you can't stop me!"

"Don't be an idiot!" he chided through clenched teeth. "You don't know who you're going up against, these blokes are a bunch of dung-brained, inbred sack of filth! They're the class of people that think Muggles ought not to even EXIST!" he hissed into her face.

"And letting them get away with it is the way to go about it, isn't it?" she asked, feeling her anger rise up through her veins.

"Bella..."

"NO, Lucius! We won't go down without a fight!"

The last thing she saw was Lucius's hands falling to his sides in exasperation as she led Ryan out of the dungeons.

Frank had obviously snuck into the Gryffindor Common Room too when Isabella clambered in through the portrait hole. And to her surprise, everything still hadn't blown out of proportion as yet; it was rather calm and merry on the contrary... The Marauders were seated on one end of the Common Room (one that they had most _unjustly_ reserved for themselves), while a puffy-eyed Lily sat next to the fireplace with an unsuspecting Claiborne and Mary (Alice had automatically gravitated in Frank's direction as usual—they're... kind of like... best friends... _or_ _something_ ). Clearly, news hadn't spread as yet.

"Er, Ryan, I…" Isabella started and looked up at Ryan and realised he had been staring long at her, almost drowning away in her beauty. Feeling a little weak with excitement, she forced herself to remain calm and said, "This is going to sound really bad but will it..."

"I know," he said without even letting her finish. "Go on," he jerked his head in Lily's direction, whilst sporting a heart-melting smile on his face. "Don't worry about a thing... Your friends need you more and I understand," he said and rubbed the side of her face.

"But you had a whole evening planned out..."

"Oh, well, that's a problem only if you decide to never have dinner again," he chuckled. Before she could respond to that, however, he spoke again. "Just go! I promise, I'll not like you less because of this!" he winked cheekily, and for the first time ever, Isabella felt a strange tug in her gut for Ryan... And before she even knew what she was doing, she had risen on her toes, pulled him close and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Bidding a stunned Ryan goodbye, she quickly wade her way through the sea of students towards Lily only to realise Lily herself was hurtling towards her. Allowing silent tears to fall down her face, she wrapped her hands around Isabella and clung on to her as if her entire existence depended on it! Feeling a rush of emotions herself, she dug her nails into her palm to keep her anger from rising!

Looking around, she realised several people were starting to grace them with curious looks. "Let's get out of here, Lily, we're starting to draw attention to ourselves," Isabella whispered and Lily tearfully nodded. "I haven't told anything to Clay yet, but, oh, I can't BELIEVE I did this to myself, I was SO stupid, it was so obvious _right_ from the time I met him before the party! How could I have not _seen_ this coming?! This is ENTIRELY my fault, I've always been so forgiving of Sev that I didn't even realise I've practically lost sight of who he really is...!"

"Lily, stop it!" Isabella interjected, "Are you MENTAL?! Listen to me, Lily, this is NOT your fault! You could NEVER have guessed that Severus would ever stoop so low, so would you PLEASE cut yourself some slack?!" she said, before dragging her by the hand and beckoning at Claiborne to join them in the hallway to their dorms.

"What in the world is going on?" Claiborne asked, catching up with the two of them. "I didn't want to pry but I've never seen the Marauders be this quiet and now YOU TWO are acting strange as well!" she added.

But before Isabella could respond, she heard footsteps approaching them and realized James was jogging up to them, wearing a solemn express sion. Holding Isabella by the hand, he led the three girls out to the hallway, only to make it seem even more scandalous than it already was!

"Will someone PLEASE tell me what's going on?" asked Claiborne.

"Not now, Clay," he replied curtly before turning to Isabella. Curiously, Isabella had never known James to ever have a serious side to him so much that, it baffled her mind to see him this boiling mad. Running a shaky hand over his forehead he said, "Izzy, could you please make sure she's alright...?" pointedly avoiding looking at the person on his left, but also looking _worried-sick_ for her at the same time.

"I'm _fine_ ," Lily growled in response instead, making Isabella jump a little. James pursed his lips and continued to glare specifically in Isabella's direction while she and Claiborne stood there awkwardly, knowing fully well they were in NO way related to this conversation. In fact, James and Lily had actively avoided each other for a whole week ever since the incident in the Great Hall so much that, Isabella knew today was the day it was all going to blow up!

"Great, then," he seethed and chewed his bottom lip to contain his anger. "So, then, will you let me know if we're taking this up with McGonagall or dealing with it _ourselves_? Because, personally, I'd prefer to give him a piece of my mind in a way that _I_ please...!"

"NO, thank you! He's wronged a _prefect_ , ME! I'm sure McGonagall will know JUST how to deal with him!" she rasped, almost challenging him to question her logic.

James's glare was almost bordering on mild psychosis now as he _continued_ to bore a hole on Isabella's skull. Shrugging vehemently, he pushed his glasses firmly up his nose before saying, "So, Miss Goody-Two-Shoes has spoken... If that's what she wants!" he spat out and stormed off towards the boys' staircase, leaving her burning RED in anger.

What she did next almost had Isabella and Claiborne crouching in fear because Lily had _hounded_ after him and tapped him hard on the shoulder. When he ignored her and continued to climb up the stairs, however, she held him by the hand and twirled him around so that they were seething in each others' faces.

Towering above her (and almost shaking in rage now), it was a miracle he hadn't yet driven his fist through the wall! Pinching the bridge of his nose he spoke again, "What... _Is it_?!"

"What is your problem with me?" she got straight to the point. By now, Frank, Alice, Mary, Sirius, Peter and Remus had squeezed through the door too, to understand what all the noise was about (and Isabella knew too well that the group's reputation had officially sunk to the gutter among the rest of their House-mates).

James huffed sarcastically. "What do you think?"

"Why aren't you TALKING to me, James?!" she screamed, feeling her frustration peaking.

" _What does it matter_?!" he yelled back, finally shutting her up. "You're not exactly a walk in the park, _are you_?! Anything anyone says needs to always be over-analysed and overthought to the point of flinging oneself off a _cliff_! You're the biggest know-it-all of the planet, aren't you? So, why don't you figure this out for your goddamn self!"

"YOU'RE RIGHT!" she screamed, making her voice echo throughout the hallway. The Common Room had gone eerily quiet now and Isabella knew every single member was listening to every syllable being uttered right now. Looking up, she saw Sirius helplessly chuckling to himself as James and Lily steadily made a monkey of themselves. "You're right about Severus!" she repeated wistfully, and a collective gasp went around her. The girls all blinked in amazement while the boys merely gaped dumbfoundedly. James, for his part though, simply cocked an eyebrow and waited for her. "He's changed. He's not the same person I grew up with. He has NO respect for me and you're right, I _shouldn't_ let him treat me that way...!" he voice was quivering so badly, Isabella suspected if Lily was actually crying.

"They sound like a married couple!" Sirius whispered in Isabella's ear, making her nudge him hard on the ribs.

James's eyebrows were still scrunched together, but there was no anger in his eyes anymore; he was merely waiting... listening intently to every word that came out of her mouth. "All I wanted to say was..." Lily began, gulping down her ego and _five-years'_ worth of denial that she had let herself endure, "I just want to say I'm sorry. I realise now that... That you only meant well... For me. And that I appreciate it," she said, over enunciating every word for some reason. "That's all I had to say," she said, finally taking a step back and inching backwards towards the girls, while James merely looked too stunned to even move. "Good day, then!" she said, before twirling around, wiping her red-hot face and dashing up the girls' staircase.

Nobody moved for a solid minute, taking the time to process everything they had just witnessed. James's breathing had still not steadied and looked like he continued to fume on the inside, while the rest of them still looked too shell-shocked for words.

"Why, that went well..." Sirius started, hardly daring to look the others in the eye. "I expected a couple of punches in there, to be honest," he spat out laughing a second later, finally giving them all permission to breathe again (Isabella literally had to hold her waist to steady her pulse rate). "What's the matter, Prongsy? Upset she didn't kiss you goodbye?" he called out cheekily.

"Shut up, Pads," he said, looking spent, but the boys had already started to snicker in the back which inevitably brought a smile to his face. " _Girls_ ," he added, rolling his eyes before nervously glancing towards their buzzing Common Room.

"Oh, don't worry, you've successfully done irreversible damage to our peace and quiet," Remus joked, making them all break into nervous grins.

"The best part, though, was he did it in alliance with Lily EVANS!" Frank added, and everyone roared in laughter. "Let's just wait for all hell to break loose tomorrow, then," he said, and gave them all a resigned-cum-terrified grin before calling it a night. "You boys better behave till then! Leaving you in-charge, mate," he said to Remus prompting him to send a salute his way. "And I will see YOU tomorrow," he smiled, giving Alice a tight bear hug before whipping around and adios-amigo'ing his way back to his own Common Room.

\- O -

She was exhausted. So much that even the beautiful pink dress she had picked out for the party seemed to weigh her down...

"Help me, Ryan," she whispered, hardly able to get the words out. "I think I'm dying, help me! Get me out of here..."

"Anything for you, babe," he smirked wickedly before holding her by the hand, and tugging her forwards, knocking her completely out of breath. The noise from the back was too loud too and she didn't like it. She didn't like any of this! "Lily!" She screamed, still being pulled away by a monster. "Lily, help! I need help!" She cried, but Lily didn't hear her. She was still arguing with James about something while Sirius stood in the back, watching her like a hawk. Their eyes locked for a second and in that split second, she saw him shaking his head ominously at her, as if warning her that something big was coming. Something that would destroy her completely!

"The rise and fall..." someone cooed serenely. With fear gripppng her heart, she let a tear or two escape her eyes as she looked around, trying to find the voice. "Rise... and... fall..." it whispered again. Suddenly, someone cackled from behind, making her nearly jump out of her skin! An old hag who looked very much like Dumbledore was staring back at her, baring toothless smile, making her seem MORE evil than Isabella had ever known her to be.

"Hahahahahaha!" the old hag cackled again, slouching and preying on her on all-fours. "The secret of the Gryffindors..." she cooed again and before Isabella could even blink, she had thrown a ball of magic at her and the next second she looked down, a twelve-foot long serpent had wound itself around her legs and circled up her body, hissing and rattling ominously!

"No! NO! Help me! HELP MEEE!" She screamed.

Her eyes flew open as she jumped up in her bed, sweaty and shivering feverishly. It was just a dream... it was all just a dream...


	7. The Legend of the Cursed Pair

**Chapter 7: The Legend of the Cursed Pair**

* * *

Isabella had to use every last bit of energy left in her body to ( _heavily_ ) exercise self-restraint, as she stood there, watching Claiborne, Remus and Peter bawl their eyes out from uncontrollable laughter.

"Wow. Reckon that's the last time you lot are ever hearing ANYTHING about my life, then," came Isabella's steely voice, before she defiantly folded her hands across her chest. Poor Peter, though, fell like a _brick_ to the floor, as he slipped off the branch of a low-hanging tree near the Black Lake, laughing harder than ever at her forced belligerence.

This is going to be a long day.

"I'm sorry, but I _physically_ can't seem to unsee the image in my head!" Claiborne was practically sobbing for good measure now, hardly caring about the strange stares she was getting from fellow students around them.

"But, are you SURE she said _Dumbledore_?" Remus asked, wiping away strained tears from laughing too hard and exchanging a helpless glance with a soon-to-be- _dead_ Claiborne. "Was it really _Dumbledore_ crooning away in the middle of the forest, wearing a tutu and reeking of _gum-disease_?!"

"You're almost forgetting the part where he was part- _gorilla_!" chimed in Peter and petulantly held his hands up like a monkey. At this point, Isabella thought she had finally managed to STOP time because, all three of their faces had suddenly _frozen_ with their eyes scrunched tightly shut and mouths hanging open in laughter, forming some of the most _ridiculous_ expressions she'd ever seen!

Isabella could not believe THIS was the kind of reception that her truly gut-wrenching, blood-curdling, almost _mind-wrecking_ dream was getting.

"That... _NO_! That's... That's not even _close_ to how I described it, Peter!" she barked through gritted teeth and gave Peter a hard slap to the side of his arm. "I'm telling you! It was the scariest thing I've ever seen! It was honestly TERRIFYING! He was going to _attack_ me! And the SNAKE...!" but she had already lost her friends once again to another round of infuriating laughter. And this time, Claiborne was positively turning purple in the face from not having taken a breath in too long. "Oh, how I wish you three choke and die," Isabella whisper-yelled at the three of them and hotly gathered up her Astronomy notes and partly-finished star charts that she was working on before her idiot friends unleashed their third eye of STUPID!

"And where do you think you're going?!" Peter asked before cheekily snatching her bag from her grasp, much to her annoyance.

"Yeah, does the Star Chaser not like her company?!" grinned Remus tugging her by the hand and pulling her back to the ground next to him.

" _Not like your company_?" Isabella repeated, feigning utter disbelief. "Why, you must be barmy as a bandicoot to think that!" she said, huffing at Remus's teasing grin.

"I must say though, I am _so_ lucky to have you as my best friend, Isabella G. Williams, you are a godsend!" she said, chuckling at the boiling red face of her friend whilst giving a scowling Isabella a side squeeze.

It was nearing mid-day on Saturday, the day _after_ all hell had come crashing in on the unsuspecting bunch of Gryffindor fifth-years, and Isabella, and a few other similarly brain-burned students, had flocked down to the grounds that had received its first dusting of snow for the season. And for Isabella of all people, to bring down her Astronomy homework on a glorious day like this, was extremely out of character so to speak, because she did not believe in getting things done within a reasonable amount of time in hand—everything, _obviously_ , needed to be driven by last-minute panic! The downside to her occasional stepping out of character, however, was that she often tended to overlook some of the most obvious outliers around her. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that morning that, she had somehow ( _miraculously_ ) been oblivious to the puffy, red eyes of the four mischief-makers from her year, and _that's not all_. She actually had the nerve to leave Mary and _Alice_ in charge of Lily, who had refused to leave the dorm.

Maybe she really was overthinking this.

"So, how _is_ she?" Remus finally asked, his face suddenly looking grim and worried.

"How do you think?" said Claiborne. "We don't think she is ever going to recover from something like this."

"Obviously not, but, has she decided on how she's going to deal with it?" he pressed on in a determinedly casual voice; "Is going to go the _conventional_ way...?" he asked and for some reason it looked like he was struggling to keep his calm as he waited for a reply.

"I think she made it _quite_ clear how she was going to handle this?" said Isabella, giving him a knowing look. "And I hope you boys don't have any genius plans in the works too...!" she said, but her voice trailed off as her eyes fell on something flaming-red in the distance, beyond the lake. It was unmistakably an angry-looking Lily stalking away from a desperate Severus and a chill ran up her spine. The others had turned their heads in the direction of the castle too and visibly stiffened; Remus actually jumped up to his feet at the sight.

Shrugging pointedly at Isabella he muttered, "Well, you hoped wrong, Izzy," whilst gracing her with a grim-cum-satisfied look. And despite the wisdom that oozed from his features, the mischievous determination that hung about in his eyes made her gape disbelievingly at his guts. "Go on then," he said, smiling irritably at her. Giving him a disapproving shake of the head, Isabella jumped up to her feet, grabbed her bag and, without thinking, stormed in their direction; she was NOT going to let Severus talk his way out of this one this time.

She could feel the blood pumping in her ears as she ran like a maniac towards her best friend, mentally making a thoroughly badass speech for Severus.

"...and I've apologised and apologised..."

"...I came down for some _air_ , Severus!"

"Lily, why are you always this difficult?!"

"Difficult...? I'm _DIFFICULT_?! After what you did to me yesterday, I'm surprised you thought I'd be _anything else_!" her voice echoed across the white landscape.

Severus's face fell almost immediately. From the looks of it, it was clear even to Isabella that Lily and Severus had grown so far apart, they'd possibly never see eye-to-eye anymore; their differences had never been this evident ever before... Huffing sadly, he remained motionless for a second, looking haggard and helpless beyond measure. Isabella now, had slowed down to a strut and watched on, quite unsure if she wanted to interrupt them just yet. Lily, on the other hand, met Isabella's eyes and motioned at her to wait a bit whilst she dealt with him alone.

"What's happened to us...?" he finally asked, letting his hands fall feebly to his sides. "Do you even remember the last time we had a good laugh, Lily?" he muttered, his eyes almost begging her to see the light. "Of late, we can't seem to survive two full days without ending up arguing and fighting over _something_ or the other..."

"And you're blaming _me_ for that, aren't you, Sev?" Lily shot back, this time stopping short in her tracks and eyeing him murderously, waiting for an answer. Unfortunately, it only made Severus more frustrated than ever.

"Well, I... I just feel you've gotten awfully... well," he said, biting the side of his cheek as if contemplating on whether it was a good idea or not to say it aloud. "Well, lately, I feel you've gotten awfully _emotional_!"

That did it (Isabella almost smacked her head in frustration at Severus's choice of words).

Lily closed her eyes and processed the words again to see if she'd heard him right. Shaking her head in confusion, she opened her mouth, "Ex- _CUSE ME_?!" she yelled through gritted teeth, glaring daggers in his direction. "You let Mulciber _impersonate_ you...!"

"...which I'm extremely _sorry_ for!"

"...you made me believe I was being escorted to the party by YOU!"

"...he told me he just wanted to get in somehow, Lily, I swear, I meant no harm!"

" _He felt me up my front_ , Severus!" she screamed, drowning his voice out entirely. Isabella quickly walked up to her side and took her hand in hers while giving Severus a death glare that could have burned the slime off of his hair!

Shaking her head lightly, she glowered menacingly at him, allowing the anger to burn right through her as she did. "You don't get to call me 'emotional'. Not now, not _ever_ ," she said, this time in a calmer, but more dangerous voice than ever.

He sighed resignedly, giving her one look of pure defeat. "You're right, I did you wrong in a big way and I deserve every bit of your wrath. But, please, oh please, Lily, don't be angry about it, I beg of you... What do I have to do to make it right? What could I possibly do to _undo_ what's already been done?" he said, eyeing her pleadingly. "I miss you, Lily. I miss the old you... I miss my _best friend_..."

"That's laughable considering you put her in danger less than _twelve hours_ ago, Snape," Isabella said, knowing fully well that, if she didn't intervene, she'd end up watching Lily forgiving him one more time and giving him yet _another_ chance. "Leave her alone."

"I don't recall ever talking to _you_ , Williams!"

" _Eat slugs,_ Snape!" she yelled back before dragging away a miserable-looking Lily, no doubt, torn between forgiving him and seething with rage at the same time.

\- O -

On their way up to their wing, Lily and Isabella had run into an unusual number of teachers, _including_ McGonagall, but she saw no sign of Lily ever approaching them to report the previous night's incident, making it that much more bothersome for Isabella as she envisioned the boys taking matters into their own hands, the idiots. As they climbed through the portrait hole, they were greeted by loud afternoon chatter ensuing from inside, as fellow students either studied together, practiced spellwork or wasted precious time irresponsibly lounging in front of the fireplace (Edgar, James and Sirius, obviously). Cocking his head up from the Muggle magazine that he was staring at (let's not get into the details of WHAT he was staring at for the moment), Sirius cracked a smile and darted his hand up in the air, as if that was enough to veer them magically towards him. Going by Lily's current mood _and_ the fact that Remus had discretely made her privy to their plan later tonight, Isabella thought it would be a great idea to spend time with the Marauders now more than ever.

 _'Do NOT ruffle her up!'_ she mouthed in Sirius's direction as she dragged a defunct Lily beside her. Sirius, for his part, reassured her by deciding to blow a kiss in her direction and unfortunately, it had quite the OPPOSITE effect and ended up riling _Isabella_ up instead!

"I can't believe they talked you into slacking off this way too, Edgar," said Isabella, fanning her red face as she slumped into a couch as far away from Sirius as possible.

"You know, you may not like them, but the boys do have a point," he said, sniggering in James's direction. "It's all about confidence!" he said, shrugging with a hint of swagger. "You attack any spell with CONFIDENCE and you shall never fail!"

Sirius wiped off invisible tears of happiness whilst staring at Edgar like he was his long-lost love. "There's nothing more to teach you, mate!"

"Golden words, brother," he replied, hi-fiving a very satisfied-looking Sirius.

"How many times do you have to add powdered moonstone before the potion turns pink, Edgar? Also, do you add the syrup of hellebore before or _after_ the potion turns purple?" asked Lily, challenging him almost immediately. Huffing frantically, he looked wide-eyed in Sirius's direction, who looked severely taken aback as well. Jerking his head to one side and suffering from a mild case of epilepsy, Sirius appeared to be glaring wildly in Edgar's direction, undeniably asking him to abort the mission and flee. Giving the group one last look of pure horror, Edgar bolted out of his chair and ran up the stairs to grab his copy of the Potions textbook.

"You're a sadist, that's what you are!" scowled Sirius, before throwing his legs back up on the table and crossing his hands behind his head.

"Knock it off, Sirius," came James's solemn voice before Isabella could ask Sirius shove it up.

"Say that to _Grumpy_ here!" he exclaimed, pouting petulantly at an exasperated James. "What's up with her this time?" he asked Isabella.

"Severus."

James instantly went livid in the face as he balled his hand into a fist and gritting his teeth for full measure.

Sirius gaped in shock as well. "Not planning on getting him back on the train, is she?"

"No, Sirius, come on!" Isabella said, frowning at him.

"Tell me I'm wrong," he said, defiantly crossing his arms across his chest.

"It's complicated, Sirius," Lily said.

"What a load of horse dung," James muttered loud enough for everyone to hear before locking eyes with a deadly-looking Sirius as if to say, ' _Time for Plan B._ '

"James..." Lily started exasperatedly.

"I don't care," he said, waving her off immediately. It was then that Isabella realised James had not _once_ looked in Lily's direction in all this time.

" _Fine_! Suit yourself!" she hissed and dashed up the stairs too.

As soon as Lily had disappeared, Sirius jumped up from his couch and threw himself in the space between Isabella and James, much to her annoyance.

"When will she _learn_?" James asked through gritted teeth to no one in particular.

"It's... _not_ your... concern!" she managed to say as she wrestled with Sirius's heavy hand that had wound around her neck for some godforsaken reason! "Look, James..." she said, finally managing to wriggle out of his death grip, "can't you —"

"No, I cant," he said flatly. " _She's_ the one high on Amortentia, Izzy, not me!"

Isabella snorted loudly. "I wouldn't believe that, if I were you," she said, rolling her eyes most dramatically. " _You_ of all, should know better, if you ask me."

James shook his exasperatedly. "All I know is, from this second on, it's either Snivelly or _me_..."

"I'd choose neither!" guffawed Sirius from the side.

"For the sake of Merlin's _pants_ , Sirius!" Isabella exclaimed in annoyance.

"I'm not joking, though," James continued on, looking grimmer than ever. "She better choose _who_ she prefers getting annoyed by going forward. I'm all of _done_ with Lily and her stupidity..."

"Ten Sickles says he'll go back to drooling over her neck before the week starts!" Sirius whispered in Isabella's ear and James almost launched himself on top of Sirius, making him yelp in playful fear.

To get buried under two _very_ heavy bodies that wrestled with one another was the least of Isabella's expectations for a relaxed afternoon. But, despite everything, after the two lunatics had gone back to grinning densely at each other, she heard herself say, "You're on," most discreetly to Sirius, who gladly took her up on the bet.

Sniggering excitedly, Isabella pulled out _The Rise Fall Of The Sacred Age_ from her bag (she suddenly felt a strange tingle in her stomach as she looked upon the cover of the book).

Watching her eyes glaze from the sides, Sirius nudged painfully on the ribs. "What are you doing tonight?" Sirius asked, making her jump up in her seat. She turned around to find him smiling puckishly.

"NOTHING that involves being anywhere around you!"

"Oh, stop it, I know I'm irresistible, even for _you_! Anyway, if I were you, I'd be up at half past ten tonight, _not_ dressed in my pajamas. Also, it would be a great stroke of luck if you had on you the tools for _Jiorectory_!"

"You mean, 'Geometry'?" she asked, half wishing to hit him with the Curse of Bogies!

"That one, exactly!" he said grinning handsomely back at her.

\- O -

By the time she could wriggle herself out of the Common Room and head upstairs to some peace and quiet, it was already dark outside. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, she flocked down on her bed with the book in her hand (thankfully she had the dorm all to herself). Cosying up in her four-poster bed, she settled into the silent night with a wide smile on her face—something only Sirius was capable of achieving. Flipping through the book for the first time since she borrowed it from the library, she realised it contained ancient scriptures and stories of long ago. Gripped instantly by the pictures and the chapter heads that her eyes caught as she flipped more through the book, she felt herself get more and more nervous for some odd reason.

' _Woldorin Its Gryffindors_ ' she heard Dumbledore's kind words resonate in her mind once more. Shoving handfuls of pages aside, she quickly sifted through the book before finally landing on page five-hundred and forty four.

Under the large letters of the chapter title was the picture of four animals, looking deadlier and fiercer than she had ever seen them be depicted before. She felt her heart quicken as she stared back at the monstrous lion in the middle, gnarling and baring its fearsome teeth. She immediately wondered what this story could be about... What in the name of Merlin was ' _Woldorin_ '? How were the Gryffindors associated with this name? And why did Dumbledore think Isabella, in particular, would find it amusing...?

Running a shaky hand over the picture, she dived into the story at once:

' ** _WOLDORIN ITS GRYFFINDORS_**

 _Many thousand years ago, there lived an old wizard called Everard who hailed from Rhosgobel in the Vales of Anduin. He was also called the 'nature-whisperer' due to his unusual inclination towards nature, animals and his choice of earth-brown robes that characterized the forest floor. Everard, among others, was thought to have been sent to the country by the Veela to aid and build the Magical World as we see it today. Before the intervention of the Veela, all of Europe's Magic was scattered and in a state of utter chaos; before the Fərst Magique Conseil, it is said that isolated incidents of magic were constantly reported from far off countries which, the Veela feared, could potentially compromise the well-guarded secret of magic. This eventually initiated the colonising of the First Age Witches and Wizards from all over the country and, eventually, the first Ministry of Magic was set up. However, different factions were soon formed on account of several disagreements, the most controversial of which was on mixing of purebloods with no-majs._

 _'Originally there were thought to have been over a hundred factions with varying views and beliefs and each of these factions colonised across different parts of the Aegean. However, over time, smaller factions started getting invaded and conquered by bigger factions for want of power and the number of factions slowly started to shrink. After nearly three hundred years of war and bloodshed, there were only four major factions that existed—Caedesmort, Armindale, Woldorin and Elvedoria—four massive, yet extremely powerful factions that were ruled by kings and rulers who assumed leadership roles in each. Of the four factions, Caedesmort was most feared as they were most powerful, cunning and merciless._

 _'Most of the wizards that the Veela had originally chosen for building the Magical World became allies to one or the other of the four factions, except Everard. Unlike other wizards of his time, Everard was not seeking power or political affiliations to expand his Magic and Theme as was customary of powerful wizards in that Age; instead, he resorted to spreading love and serenity to the lesser Mortal world which was part of Mother Earth._

 _'Somewhere in the middle of the Second Age, Caedesmort gained a new wizard and ruler; a ruler and wizard the World would talk about forever; a ruler and wizard who would go on to becoming one of the Greatest Dark Lords the Magical World would ever see… The High King of Caedesmort, Mávros Slytherin, was a ruthless ruler and army chief who unleashed terror, war and bloodshed across the Aegean. The evil of Mávros was compared to that of Satan; fear reeked so much so that there came a time when people refused to look upon his face._

 _'However, as fate would have it, love struck Mávros on the battlefield between the armies of Caedesmort and Woldorin. A bloody battle of the swords and wands ensued between King Mávros and King Daerian when, all of a sudden, Daerian was disarmed. Mávros moved in for the kill and mercilessly raised his sword to cut Daerian's head off when there was an earth-shattering clang of metal. Mávros found his sword struggling to overpower and conquer another. Anger and murk emanated from the very eyes of the Dark Lord as he tactfully swung his weapon and turned to look upon the mortal who dare stop him: the exact contrast of what Mávros was made of stood before him: there, in front of him, stood Goddess Athena incarnate; probably the fairest lady to ever walk the Earth. Irvette Gryffindor, wife of Daerian Gryffindor and sister of wizard Everard, was the most beautiful and noble Queens the wizarding world ever saw. Long white hair, eyes like the very claws of eagle, slender, elegant, yet, strong, valiant and absolutely fearless—she won Mávros' heart instantly._

 _'Legend says the battle that ensued between Irvette and Mávros will always be remembered as the most blood-curdling and fierce battle of skill, power, race and passion. Mávros, despite his Satanic appearance, seemed to helplessly fall for the wife of another with every clink and clash of their swords until he was defeated. Irvette's bravery, fury and love for her husband salvaged Daerian's life on the battlefield that day. Over time, however, Mávros' obsession for Irvette spread like plague and, gloom fell across the rest of the three factions in anticipation of yet another, even bigger War on the horizon. Irvette's Seer foretold that a war, like no-other, would be fought between Caedesmort and Woldorin for a hundred years. Daerian will die and the faction will perish; Woldorin will not have an heir._

 _'That night, Irvette was seen singing a lullaby to her new-born one last time. It is said that in the dead of the night, the guards of Woldorin saw a silver light fall from the highest towers of their castle—not a scream was heard._

 _'The news left Mávros both brimming with pride and seething with rage. Her devotion to Daerian was so ethereal that it made Mávros' love for Irvette both burgeon and diminish at the same time. Mávros cursed the pair and deemed that they will be Man and Wife in seven births, however, be separated by death in their seventh Life together so as to understand the misery of losing a loved one. A heart-broken Daerian approached wizard Everard to seek justice for his wife's death and to reverse the curse that was mercilessly laid upon his family. Everard presented Daerian with a pocket clock and said,_

 _'Life is a Cricle, Daerian...  
_ _A true Heir of Gryffindor need only find the Clock.  
_ _Every time the Cursed Pair is reborn in this world, the clock would chime.  
_ _And the clock would chime seven times, seven births hence.  
_ _The true Heir of Gryffindor need only find the Clock,  
_ _And reverse the curse to be reborn seven more times.  
_ _And seven more times yet again and again.  
_

 _And the Magic will go on forever…'_

 _'Mávros was soon overpowered and dethroned. Two generations later, the unspeakable deeds of Caedesmort were slowly fading away and harmony began to restore among the four factions. Three more generations later, the boundary-lines between the four factions started to fade as inter-faction marriages became more prevalent._

 _'Eventually, the History of the factions started to fade away with Time much to the concern of the elders in the countries. Thus, came about the idea of building a wholly Magical School, Hogwarts, as we know it now. The four founders, Salazar Slytherin from Caedesmort, Godric Gryffindor from Woldorin, Rowena Ravenclaw from Armindale and Helga Hufflepuff from Elvedoria used the Magic and the beliefs of their factions and built the school by instilling their charm in every brick._

 _Thus, is the story of the Cursed Pair: Fenomena Atmamiter.'_

The book slipped off her lap and fell _THUD!_ to the floor when the door to her dorm blasted open and someone shouted, "What the BLOODY hell are you doing, still hiding up in here?!"

Her heart had still not stopped racing from the shock as she turned around to find an annoyed Sirius at the door. " _What in the world_ , Sirius...?!"

"It's a quarter to ten! Have you forgotten?" he growled before shamelessly pushing the door open and waltzing into the girls' dorm. "Ah, good, at least you're dressed!" he said, giving her one good look of approval before admiring himself in the mirror. "Now, come on, we have got work to do!" he said, taking the liberty of rummaging through her trunk and tossing out two or three of her undies, much to her horror!

" _SIRIUS_!"

"Ah, found it!" he said, holding up her box of geometry tools (along with a polka-dotted bra hanging precariously down his hand). "Let's go, then!" he said and before she could even process what was happening, he had grabbed her by the hand and dragged her down towards the Common Room once more.


	8. Levicorpus Feels

**Chapter 8: Levicorpus Feels**

 _Unedited..._

* * *

"Sirius! What—Why— _Let. Me. Go_!"

"Stop whining, Williams!"

"But I don't want to go with you! You'll get me in trouble!"

"Oh, I will, without a doubt, but that's hardly a reason for you to go back to being _boring_?!" he grinned, not even having the courtesy to look back as he continued to drag her on.

When they landed on the foot of the stairs, however, he stopped dead in his tracks and turned his irritating face towards Isabella.

"What?" she asked.

"What, 'what'? Turn around, you're giving me a piggy-back ride to the Common Room, obviously," he said, shrugging matter-of-factly.

"I'm sorry, _what_?!"

"Good _. Griffin!_ Would you just...!" but he chose not to finish his sentence and simply twirled her around and jumped up on her back like a monkey, instead.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL, SIRIUS!" she bellowed watching him wrap his legs around her waist and sheepishly grin back at her. "Why can't you just go down the way you _came up_?" she growled through gritted teeth.

"Because, the stupid stairway is magicked to ward off boys, genius! Also, only James knows the counter spell for it, so..." he smirked flagrantly, successfully getting on her last nerve.

Frowning frustratedly, she let out a nasty growl before stomping down the stairs. "Sirius, you're just... _SUCH_ a prat!" she spat out, cursing the stars for ever having brought Sirius Orion Black into her life.

"I know. But, I'm also mind-wreckingly _attractive_ though, so it cancels out," he said, chuckling into her ear, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She shot him an unforgiving side glance, fully ready to blast his face out of recognition, only to find her insides _melting_ at his handsome face.

How could someone stir up such unspeakable emotions in places she _cannot_ name AND make her want to clobber them dead at the same time? Almost immediately her thoughts drifted off to Ryan and her stomach squirmed uncomfortably in guilt. Was she cheating on him before they even started a relationship?

"Stop talking, Sirius," she said solemnly as she trudged down the second floor's landing.

" _Why_?" he whined and frowned petulantly before his eyes twinkled with mischief once more. "Afraid you'll fall irreversibly for my deep baritone?" he said cheekily. "Poor Evantrap, though... He'd snap like a twig, if he finds out!" he cackled away, completely oblivious to Isabella's current state of mind.

She was numb with fury now as she resentfully stomped down the stairs with a very heavy gorilla on her back. "Just shut up, Sirius! Argh! I hate you, I hate you, I _hate_ you!"

Sirius whistled in her ear. "Add a bit more emotion and I'd be _so_ turned on right now..." he said, most teasingly, making her wish the ground would swallow her right up!

 _'He really is bat-shit crazy!'_ she thought, heaving out a ton of air as she struggled under Sirius's weight. It wasn't as if this was new to her though—they always picked each other up as children when either of them got too tired running around. It was a problem NOW, however, because Sirius, the moron, had grown _so_ much recently that, it was practically unthinkable to have his strong arms and wide shoulders hanging off one's neck in this fashion...

"Anyway, since we are on that subject, has he kissed you yet?" Sirius asked out of nowhere, catching her completely off guard.

Isabella rolled her eyes. "Do you always have to be so crude?"

"It's a simple _yes_ or _no_ ques—"

"No!"

She didn't know why that information should bring anyone so much joy, because the moment the word had left her lips, he burst out chuckling heartily into her neck. "I don't blame you. I wouldn't too if I were two years away from graduation and _still_ had no experience in that department!"

"You're the biggest hypocrite. Like James has any more experience than I do!"

"Do you _see_ me extolling him for being the knobhead that he is?" he asked in return. "In fact, Remus and I have a bet going on that James will, one day, die a virgin," he sniggered, spraying the side of her neck most unceremoniously.

Isabella snorted loudly. "You still think you're going to win that bet? Are you really that daft?"

"What d'you mean?"

"I... Well, I could be wrong, but do you _not_ see something weird going on between Lily and James of late?"

"Weird? Like what?!" He gasped after giving it a second's thought. "D'you think they're secretly _hooking up_?!"

She merely shook her head and rolled her eyes sadly to herself. " _Boys_. You lot wouldn't know what's going on if it slammed into you like a train."

Something seemed to shift in him upon hearing that making him narrow his eyes at her. "That's only because you _girls_ are so complicated," he retorted, suddenly sounding annoyed for some reason. He wound his hands tighter around her neck and stared blankly ahead before muttering, "We almost _never_ know what's running in your head, do we?" this time looking straight into her eyes.

Time stopped in that instant as she stopped dead in her tracks.

Her stomach jolted uncomfortably as his grey eyes captured her large brown ones in a steely stare. The fluttering in her heart and the numbness in her legs could not begin to describe the trauma she was experiencing at the moment as the two of them continued to stare silently at each other. If he _was_ implying what she thought he was implying, she didn't want to believe it... Because, that could never be true—he made that extremely clear to her not very long ago... "Pretty impressive, by the way," he said, finally breaking the spell, albeit never breaking off eye contact. "I half expected you to drop me in the third floor. You're not as frail as you look, you know," he smiled.

"I'm a whole lot of things now, Black," she breathed back.

"I can see."

At this point, she was sure she was positively going to faint if he kept this up. Huffing and puffing, she realised they were (thankfully) on the first floor already. _Just a few more seconds of this ordeal and freedom is yours, Williams!_ she thought. Perhaps it was her desperation to not look like Sirius Black's personal ' _slave_ ' in front of her fellow House-mates, because, otherwise, there was no need for her to have hurried down the stairs, lost balance half way and ended up flying into the air with a hysterical Sirius screaming his lungs out for dear life!

" _Aaaaaargh_!"

"Mate, LOOK OUT!" yelled Thomas Walker, who was standing at entrance, watching the two of them tumbling down towards the bunch of boys.

Thomas dived forwards to catch them, while Martin, being a tad more sensible, dashed up the stairway to rescue them. Poor bloke didn't know what hit him, though, when a sudden klaxon-like sound resounded all around them and the steps melted together to make a long, smooth stone slide. All Isabella remembered after that was falling face-forwards into the dark, muscled arms of Martin Benkley, lots of yells, grunts, thuds and rolls before falling flat on her back with three other very masculine bodies scattered around her.

\- O -

~oO ** _30 Minutes Later..._**

"Well, you two look like crap," James declared as Sirius and Isabella sauntered towards him, nursing several injuries and, indeed, looking like crap. "What happened?" he guffawed, while clumsily packing several large rolls of parchments into his backpack.

"Miss Hammer Toe here, incidentally forgot how to do _stairs_!" he said, staring pointedly at an inscrutable Isabella who joined them, rubbing the back of her head.

"Can we _please_ not? You've done enough damage to last me a lifetime!"

"Pleeease!" he slurred, leaning against the balustrade and feeling very _un-_ responsible for this situation. "Like Ryan was going to be your _only_ love! Besides, do you honestly want to be bossed around like that?!"

Isabella blinked at him in disbelief. "He doesn't want me spending time with two of the biggest trouble-makers of the century for my own bloody good!"

"Like that's ever happening!" Sirius yelled back. "Like you're ever going to stop ' _spending time_ ' with me!"

"After what happened today, I'd very much look forward to it!"

"Yeah! Like tripping on yourself was _my_ fault!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on. _Ryan_ was there when... this... happened?" James asked gesturing at their knackered bodies.

"Sixth and seventh year lads in their usual spot," said Sirius, shrugging matter-of-factly.

"And he..."

"He was _furious_ that Sirius had sneaked into the girls' dorm!" Isabella defended Ryan indignantly.

"Don't get cute!" Sirius guffawed in Isabella's direction. "He basically flipped thinking she and I were a _thing_!" he scoffed, laughing uncontrollably at James's bewildered expression.

"Well... _Aren't_ you two... a thing?" he asked, grinning wildly at the scandalised pair.

A second passed when no one moved (or _breathed_ ).

" _WHAT_?!"

"Where did that come from?!"

"Yeah, why would you ever _say_ something like that?!"

" _Honestly..._!"

Even Isabella would not have bought that had she been someone at the receiving end of these—well, so called—protests.

Still watching them curiously, James merely rolled his eyes. "Yeah. You two definitely are _not_ ," he said, nodding his head in obvious sarcasm. "Getting down to business, then. Do we have what we need?" he asked Sirius, who mutely pulled out the geometry box out of his pocket and brandished it in front of James's face.

"Yeah... I don't blame Ryan for thinking what he thought there, Pads," James said, staring wildly at the polka-dotted bra that Sirius was ( _also_ ) holding in his hand. The colour that rose to Isabella's face in that instant would have put the Chinese dragon to shame as Sirius cracked up laughing most sheepishly.

"Reckon you're right there," he guffawed, admiring the craftsmanship on the tiny material. "Honestly, though. Are your buns really this small, Williams?" he added. James burst out laughing even harder at that whilst avoiding full eye contact with either of them while Isabella stood there feeling far too exposed to her liking.

Not wishing to answer that question in the slightest, she mutely grabbed Sirius's hand and stared into _her_ watch strapped around _his_ wrist. "Bugger. It's already past bedtime! What are we still doing out here?"

"Teaching someone a lesson. Now, hush, and get inside!" said James and held up a silvery, slimy cloak over his head.

She blinked. "And THAT is going to keep us from getting spotted?"

"You'll be surprised," James said grinning at her.

Never in her entire life had she ever imagined being wrapped inside an Invisibility Cloak till this second. Never. Not _ever._ So much that, she couldn't stop marvelling at the piece of fabric and gushed about it throughout their journey until James threatened to feed her straight to Argus Filch himself.

"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. How very original," she said, looking unimpressed.

"It's the safest place on earth!" Sirius growled, bent double so as to keep his feet from showing.

"Where are Remus and Peter?" she asked.

"Remus is on Prefect-duty and Peter is asleep," James scoffed as they neared the bathroom.

As soon as they stepped inside and shut the door behind them, she jumped outside and stared at her two companions still under the cloak.

"You really _are_ invisible!" she squealed for joy watching the strong bodies of James and Sirius reappear from behind the cloak. "That was the _most_ fun I've had since forever!" she said, grinning from ear to ear.

"And you almost listened to Evantrap and went back to bed," Sirius said.

"Knock it _off_ , Sirius!"

"Enough already! You two can go back to snogging _after_ we're done with tonight, deal?" said James, looking irritated and amused at the same time.

"Visitors this late at night...?" someone crooned from inside, almost stopping Isabella's heart for a second.

" _How many times do we have to ask you to_ not _do that, Myrtle_?!" she asked crossly as an irritable pearl-white ghost of Myrtle appeared from behind the cubicles.

"Why, forgive me for checking on intruders in _my_ space!" she yelled back, causing Isabella to roll her eyes, while Sirius blew the ghost a kiss—as if that was going to dissuade the dead witch!

" _Not_ today, Myrtle!" she growled back.

"Stop bullying poor Myrtle, you monster!" Sirius said, painfully shoving her away from his ghost-girlfriend.

Royally ignoring him, she mutely turned back to James. "Go on, then. What are we doing?" A hint of excitement coursing through her body.

"Okay, so we're inventing a new spell. And I'm not getting the angles right. Needed to perfect it, which was why..." he paused and grabbed the bra-free tool box from Sirius's hand and said, "we needed this," he said, pulling out the set square.

"And we needed _you_ to keep watch!" Sirius said, folding his hands across his chest.

She immediately shook her head. "No way. Not if I have _kiss_ Moaning Myrtle here!"

"How about if I tell James about that time you told me you like them 'big'?" Sirius wriggled his eyebrows triumphantly. Isabella's jaw dropped in disbelief while James could _not_ have looked more thrilled than he did right now. That was low—even for Sirius!

"Oh, no!" James exclaimed dramatically, looking wide-eyed at Sirius as if he just envisioned the end of the world. "Drats, Evantrap is so doomed!" he said, laughing uncontrollably and in turn, making Sirius lose it entirely too.

She blinked back speechlessly while the two of them high-fived each other for reasons unknown to mankind and laughed on till eternity. "I shall leave before I let your imaginations get the better of you," she said loudly to no one in particular and twirled hotly on the spot as the boys continued to crack up in the back.

Grudgingly, she grabbed the Invisibility Cloak, threw it around herself and marched outside the door only to freeze on the spot in complete and indubitable fear. Just around the corner, flickering in the candle light, was the undeniable shadow of a group of people walking straight towards her. And soon enough, she saw the pointy hats of, none other than, Dumbledore and—wait for it— _McGonagall_...

Impeccable timing.

"...curious, indeed," she heard him say in the distant as the shadows grew bigger and bigger. "What's the death toll as of today?"

"About sixty-eight. But there will be more at the crack of dawn as he is known to make visits mostly at nights," said a burly man next to Dumbledore; he was an Auror, no doubt.

"He's right. And each one of these 'visits' either means he's gained a new follower or there's a new entry in the registry of wizard _deaths_!" spat out a tiny goblin hopping on the spot to keep pace with Dumbledore's long strides.

"Why does it all seem strikingly similar to the last time someone like this rose out of nowhere?" Dumbledore asked thoughtfully, now fully in Isabella's view. Despite the kind smile on his face, she could feel a mild sense of worry in his tone. "Anything else to report, Lorak?" he asked, looking down at the fierce expression on the goblin's face. Her heart was hammering in her chest now as they inched closer to where she stood.

Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead as full-blown panic took over. Pressing tightly against the door of the bathroom, she kept chanting ' _Be quiet, be quiet, be quiet..._ " under her breath as a way of 'mind read'-ing her way into James's head. They had not discussed the terms of 'sounding the alert' neither did the two halfwits have the blooming decency to keep it _quiet_ in there!

"He is not to be taken lightly, Dumbledore," replied Lorak, stopping dead in his tracks and, unfortunately, far too close to her leg. One tiny sneeze and he'd fall straight into her. Fear gripped her heart so much, she hardly breathed. "We don't know how, but ever since his emergence, a grim mood has descended on the country. Nothing seems right, nothing seems normal."

"What he means to say, Dumbledore, is that, Seers around the world are predicting an imminent apocalypse for the Magical community under this wizard's reign," said a tall, important-looking woman. When Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at her she quickly added, "I don't _want_ to believe them, Dumbledore, but going by the position I hold in the Ministry, I ought to be concerned at least?"

"It's too early for that, Millicent," replied McGonagall, albeit not sounding particularly confident. Isabella had to do everything in her power to not scream out loud at the realization that, she was standing _two feet_ away from Millicent _Bagnold_ —the Minister of Magic! "This Lord Voldemort is no stranger to us. He was formerly a student here at Hogwarts! _We_ taught him everything that he knows now, so I doubt if he would actually live up to the hype that he has created for himself."

And right at that very instant, a _thud!_ sounded from behind her and her heart stopped beating.

Everyone's heads had snapped in the direction of the noise and were looking. Straight. At. Isabella.

"What was that...?" asked Lorak, the goblin, literally sniffing at Isabella's feet while Dumbledore peered curiously at the door too.

Alarm bells were jarring through her head now as she continued to stare back at the faces of the Ministry officials while a SECOND _thud!_ sounded once more, this time a lot louder than the last!

"Is that a student out of bed?!" shrieked McGonagall, glaring daggers into Isabella's eyes. Bagnold had immediately raised a haughty eyebrow, as if questioning the discipline situation at the school.

Isabella didn't know if Magic was ending any time soon, but it was DEFINITELY apocalypse for the three of them at least.

Doing everything in her power to calm herself, she mustered up the courage to ball her hand into a fist and lightly knock once on the door, hoping and praying that her dumb friends would _get the bleeding point_!

McGonagall's eyes widened in shock and immediately shot towards Dumbledore as if she couldn't believe this was happening under her watch.

"This is preposterous. Students out of bed at this hour? Can I really rely on Hogwarts to be a safe-house, Dumbledore?" came the cold voice of Bagnold, making the situation slip further out of control.

"Allow me to get to the bottom of this, Mill..."

"I don't think there's any need for that, Minerva," said Dumbledore, making her stop dead in her tracks. Isabella couldn't thank her stars enough for that because, McGonagall's hand been mere inches away from her body when Dumbledore intervened.

"What do you mean, Albus?"

"I mean that's not a student in there, it's _Filch_. He has been complaining about the leaking pipes in the girls' bathroom for weeks now. I think it's best if we simply left him to it," he said, smiling slightly at the confused group and already steering them away from the corner (McGonagall, though, looked like she didn't want to veer away from the crime site just yet, still eyeing the bathroom suspiciously). "It's like they say, a man's plumbing is no one's business, but his own," he said, chuckling lightly to himself and leading the group down the passage. Isabella's legs had lost all sensation now, as she watched with awe at her luck.

And _just_ as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, however, she heard Dumbledore say, "So to answer your question, Millicent, yes, Hogwarts is and will continue to be the safest place for students." Placing particular emphasis on the last word, he turned around just a little and stared directly at an invisible Isabella. Raising his eyebrows at her as if to say, ' _You better not prove me wrong there_ ,' he slowly turned back to the group and joined in on the conversation as if nothing odd had ever taken place.

As she heard their steps echo away into the darkness, she slowly turned around, having gone white in the face after that close call. Turning the door knob as slowly as possible, she slowly opened the door as noiselessly as possible and sneaked into the old bathroom, her legs wobbling uncontrollably.

"All good?" asked a very calm James, leaning against the circular sink at the centre of the bathroom.

"I'm. Never. Sneaking out. With you two. Ever. Again," she said, trying to sound as calm as possible, despite the volcanic rage brewing inside of her.

"Like that's ever a possibility after today," guffawed Sirius and exchanged a cheeky glance with James, who seemed to agree with him. "You're our lucky charm!" he added through his teeth, giving her cheeks a good pinch, as if coddling a baby. "Is it time?" he asked, smacking his hands together and getting ready for action, as if NOTHING worthy of panicking had ever taken place a second ago. How are these two this put-together under pressure?

"Do you not realise we almost got caught red-handed by McGonagall?" she asked.

"In seven minutes, exactly. We should get a move on," James declared and gathered up his things, ignoring her comment completely.

"What's happening in seven minutes?" she asked, positively ridden with panic now.

"What should've ideally happened _last night,_ " he replied, shouldering his bag and dragging her out of the bathroom by her hand.

"James..."

"Relax, Izzy," he said and stepped outside, this time, not even bothering with the Invisibility Cloak.

"Are we TRYING to get caught...?"

James scoffed. "The path is clear, we checked already," was his only response. She was going to ask him _how_ he had managed to 'check' maybe later sometime.

Making sure she was always sandwiched between James and Sirius, she followed them on tip-toe, regretting ever having agreed to come on this journey. Isabella's heart rate was perpetually high, so much so that, she didn't even register where they were headed and simply followed the boys; the longer they roamed the castle, the more worried she got. As they finally rounded a corner, however, she suddenly heard voices and froze in pure, veritable fear.

"...how _are_ we supposed to complete the Dream Interpretations if we don't even get to sleep?" a girl's voice came floating towards them.

"Or if we only have _nightmares_ , night after night?" replied a boy.

Before she could even BEGIN to identify the voices, however, she came face-to-face with several faces that she was NOT expecting to see on this suicide mission: Lily, Remus—and _Severus_. It was a Mexican Stand-Off as everyone stopped dead in their tracks, having merged at the same spot at the same time from different locations.

"What's this...?" asked a dumbfounded Severus, staring blankly at everyone around him. "Why are they are all here?"

"What do you mean, ' _why are_ they _all here?_ ' Why are _you_ here?" Lily asked him, looking equally confused. "And you lot!" she said, glaring at three of them now. "What's going on? _Remus_? Did you know about this?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

He sighed, looking extremely uncomfortable. "I..." he began.

"Let me explain..." James cut in.

"Good Griffin, did _you_ send me that letter, asking me to meet Lily here tonight?!" Severus asked shakily.

" _What_ , in Merlin's name, is going on...?" asked Lily, suddenly sounding scared, but Severus seemed to have caught on.

"Are you here for _me_ , Potter? Is this your idea of ambushing me in the dead of the night, all singled out and defenseless?" he asked, now closing in on an unconcerned James. "Funny, how you thought _you_ needed a posse, though. A bunch of Gryffindors against ONE Slytherin!" he guffawed, smirking at them. "Thought I'd cower in fear, did you?"

"Don't you, always?"

He guffawed. "You Lions don't intimidate me. You can't threaten me into submission!"

"No, but it would be nice if you had the decency of staying as far away from Evans as possible, going forward," he said, oozing with casual confidence that only made Isabella that much more nervous. "With everything that's going on outside of these walls, even as we speak, I don't think I can afford seeing her get involved with the likes of you just because _you_ fail as a friend every now and then!" he spat out, swiftly pulling his wand out.

"I must commend you, Potter," Severus started, curling his lips in malice. "I've never met another person capable of insulting, accusing _and_ belittling someone at the same time, like you do."

"Something I'm very proud of," James replied.

"Okay, I think we've had enough trash-talk for the night...!"

"Not quite, Evans."

"Don't be an _idiot_ , Potter!"

"I'm _not_ afraid of him, Lily!" growled Severus.

" _What's_ the word, Snivelly? Do we understand each other or _not_?"

"I'm not taking orders from you, not today, not _ever_!" he yelled, glaring daggers at James.

"I thought you might say that," James scoffed, gripping his wand tighter now. Isabella unconsciously reached for Sirius's hand for support—this is not going well, _at all_. "Perhaps, a change of view?"

Before Isabella could even yell his name out and ask him to stop with this madness already, James had pointed his wand straight at an unsuspecting Severus and flicked it casually.

In the blink of an eye, Severus's leg flew upwards, taking his whole body with it, until he was dangling upside down in midair as though an invisible hook had hoisted him up by the ankle.

Lily almost let out a scream watching her friend thrashing and kicking in mid-air, trying to 'dislodge' himself while James coldly watched on.

"Are you out of your mind? Get him down THIS instant, Potter!" Lily yelled, making her voice echo through the silent castle.

"Get him to leave you alone, then," he growled in her direction.

"Who are YOU to decide that?" she yelled back. "I never asked for your help, neither do I want you ' _looking out_ ' for me! Do you NOT understand that you mean _nothing_ to me, Potter?" she bellowed and Isabella's eyes flew open. Only then, did she realise her hand was clasped tightly in Sirius's. "Now, get him down before I call on the professors...!"

"That won't be necessary," said someone from behind them.

Everyone turned around, shocked beyond expression. At the end of the corridor, basking in the moonlight was reposeful figure of their Headmaster.


	9. A Stroke Of Luck

**Chapter 9: A Stroke Of Luck**

 _Unedited..._

* * *

The six of them were sat in absolute silence in front of an expressionless Dumbledore, practically **shitting bricks** ( **A/N:** my apologies, I simply could _not_ come up with a better expression for this one). Ironically, Dumbledore could not have looked kinder, with his fingers pressed together and surveying them through his half-moon glasses, and yet, this was the most scared Isabella had ever been of him.

"Perhaps we should abolish all school rules...?" started Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling as always, but his words felt like arrow heads to Isabella. Shifting uneasily in her seat, she dared to look up into his serene face. "Maybe then, we won't have so many of you _breaking_ them?" he asked, while Fawkes flapped his wings enthusiastically. All Dumbledore had to do was laugh exuberantly, and this may as well have been a friendly 'catch-up' among friends; sadly it wasn't, and that made this situation even more intimidating. On the contrary, James and Sirius sat there, feeling very relaxed and at ease, making her want to slap their smug smiles off of their faces!

Sirius smirked cheerfully in Dumbledore's direction. "Can't say we haven't made that suggestion before, Professor."

"Do _not_ tempt me to tell on you once again, Master Sirius," came a growl from one of the portraits on the wall behind them. "Your mother could not be more ashamed of you already."

"Mind your own bleeding...!"

"Sirius," said Dumbledore and that was enough to shut him up entirely. "Thank you, Phineas,"said Dumbledore quellingly. "I won't say though, that I'm not a little disappointed in you two this time," he said, looking specifically at James and Sirius. "Not with everything that's been going on outside this castle at least. You must understand that, as much as I admire your nerve and magical skills..."

"Surely, you don't mean that, Professor," Severus jeered from Isabella's far right, looking murderous at Dumbledore's comment.

Staring pointedly at him, he continued to talk as if nothing had interrupted him at all. "...what happened today was hugely cretinous, even for you two," he finished, finally getting some reaction from James. The look that Dumbledore was giving him seemed to literally make him look away in shame. "From what I gather, today's little adventure was about keeping your friends 'safe,' wasn't it?"

"But, professor..."

Dumbledore raised his hand and James fell silent once again. "Was it entirely necessary to have the party _outside_ of your comfortable Common Rooms? Could it not have waited till daylight when dangers do not lurk the corridors, James? For someone who cares so deeply for his friends," Isabella noticed his finger hover in Lily's direction for just a split-second before he decided to innocently stroke little Fawkes who was cawing sweetly next to him, "do you not think it was, perhaps, a little foolish of you to opt for such a confrontation?"

"What danger could we possibly be in when we have _you_ , Professor?" James suddenly asked as if that little fact would go without saying. Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up in mild surprise.

A slight smile cut Isabella's face. It was the first time she had ever heard James speak this way to anyone; she didn't know it was even remotely possible for him to _idolize_ someone and revere them as much till this second. Above all, it warmed her heart beyond measure to see him ooze with so much respect for their beloved Headmaster.

"As flattering as that may be," said Dumbledore, smiling softly, "you must also realise that I won't always be present when danger presents itself, James." He sighed and wiped his glasses with his robe before he spoke again. "Times are changing, Darkness is coming. For all of us," he said, suddenly looking tired. "And that is exactly why I implore you to obey school rules... And be kind to each other," he said, this time looking at Severus, who looked like he was bursting at the seams in disbelief.

"Am I hearing this right?" Severus asked incredulously, quite unable to believe Dumbledore's choice of interrogation. "Are you actually implying that Potter, here, was _right_ to have assaulted me in the middle of the night with a _home-made_ spell? A spell _not_ authorised by the Magical Law Enforcement?! Are you telling me, Professor, that Potter, here, will NOT face punishment for his _flagrant violation of the Magical Code_?!" He kicked his chair backwards and stood up now, glowering in Dumbledore's direction. "Not playing 'favorites' again, are we... _Professor_?" he sneered, making Lily look at him in complete horror.

"Sit down, Severus!" she hissed, while Phineas clicked his tongue imperiously. Even James and Sirius looked taken aback at Severus's outburst. Remus, perhaps, was the only person, apart from Dumbledore, who looked completely unperturbed by the evening's goings-on.

Dumbledore merely smiled and looked straight at Severus.

"Absolutely, not, Severus. On the contrary, I _do_ plan on taking care of James and Sirius's, and on this occasion, Isabella too, complete disregard for school rules, but I shall not say _how_ just now. I do, however, have one little piece of advice for you, dear boy. I hope we see more compassion from you in the days to come, something I _know_ you're capable of, Severus," he said. His voice was soft, but no one could deny the sternness that rested in his eyes. "What happened at Professor Slughorn's party shall. Never. Repeat. Again." And that was enough to send shivers down even Isabella's spine—she swore she'd never want to be at the receiving of that glare. Not like that was affecting Severus in the least, though, because he was gladly glaring right back at their Headmaster without even so much as a flinch.

"That's all," Dumbledore finally said, still exchanging a million unspoken thoughts with Severus while the rest of them simply stared on. "Mr Lupin, as a prefect, you shall escort Mr Snape back to the dungeons while Ms Evans would do the honours with the Grydfindor students. And you would do well to remain indoors for the rest of the night."

And that was an order. All the children sprang up from their chairs at once and shuffled about to leave the room as quickly as possible before Dumbledore changed his mind and fed them all straight to the hungry dragon nestled away secretly in the castle's basement, when Isabella heard him clear his throat.

It was as if it was intended only for her to hear. She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard him say, "I always knew you were not that shy, quiet girl from when you first joined Hogwarts." He was smiling broadly at her, making her get fully paralyzed from the neck up—she didn't know if she had to smile with him and hang her head in shame— _why must all teachers be so bloody confusing_?! "You had trouble written all over you."

"Brace yourself for more, Professor," Sirius added cheekily while giving her a nudge to the side. But the look that Dumbledore was giving the two of them only made her want to jump off the window even more—he always saw right through her!

 _~oO **20 Minutes Later**..._

"... _unbelievable_! And here I was, thinking you would have grown a BRAIN in all this time!"

"That's laughable coming from _you_! Had you been just a little more _aware_ of everything around you, we wouldn't even BE in this situation now, would we?"

Sirius glanced tiredly at Isabella and rolled his eyes as the two of them continued to bicker behind them. In all honesty, Isabella was developing a headache too listening to them go at each other all the way from Dumbledore's office. "So, d'you know what happened to Vernon?" she whispered, trying her best to drown out their voices behind her.

"Sacked," he simply replied, making her shoulders slump in instant depression and disbelief.

"Bloody hell. The world really _is_ coming to an end, isn't it?"

"Not sure about that, but for James it definitely is," he said, glancing momentarily at the quarelling duo behind them. Something about the way he said it conveyed a deep sense of worry and angst. And a second later, Isabella witnessed it coming true right before her eyes.

"And you know what, Lily? You're right. I've been wasting my time chasing after a _ghost_! I don't know WHY I cared so much about you when you don't care as much for your own goddamn self! And I hear you loud and clear every time you say I mean 'nothing' to you. I didn't want to believe it until tonight, but guess what? You got your wish. I won't bother you. Ever. _Again_."

And with that, he turned on his heel and stormed off past Sirius and Isabella, leaving behind a shocked Lily.

"Whoa, hang on. James!" Sirius said, trying to grab him by his arm, but James merely shook him off and continued to make his way to the Gryffindor tower.

Nobody moved for a long time as they all absorbed the aftermath of James's words. He wasn't kidding this time and that thought scared Isabella beyond expression.

"Happy now?" came Sirius's icy voice. He glared daggers in her direction, successfully plunging her into a pool of guilt that Isabella thought was slightly uncalled for.

"Sirius, _you_ understand, right...?"

"No, Lily. You've gotten awfully nasty to him of late and I do not appreciate it, _not in the least_! "

"But... He... Sirius, he was starting to lose it entirely and you know it!" she pleaded. "He wasn't being reasonable! And neither are _you_ right now!" she yelled at him, now almost close to tears.

"Well, forgive him for caring too much..."

"Bollocks! If he really _did_ care for how I felt, he _wouldn't_ have got me and himself into so much trouble! If he _did_ care so much about my feelings, he'd know what ticks me off...!"

"And what about how _he_ felt? Does that count at all in your universe?"

That shut her up. She merely stood there, spluttering and choking back truckloads of emotions (and her ginormous ego), nearly baking under Sirius's unforgiving frown.

"Patience runs out, Lily. Even for James."

That night, the world didn't come crashing in on just Lily; it seemed to have catapulted throughout the school. James retreating into a shell undoubtedly came as a shock to everyone so much that the rumour mills were abuzz a lot longer than usual (everyone, both seniors _and_ juniors, wanted to know what had happened SO bad that James was perennially in a bad mood; of some of the bizzare claims made by students included one where Archie Pinestone from Hufflepuff declared James had contracted _spattergroit_ from Lily!). Nothing seemed the same anymore: she hardly saw Sirius or the rest of the Marauders during dinner or in the Common Room in the evenings after that night, Frank seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth too (he was most likely fulfilling his duties as James's big brother during these trying times), Severus seemed to have drowned himself in complete depression, Lily's hand was seldom seen during classes, practicals weren't as interesting anymore, spell practice and the growing mountain of homework didn't feel as nerve-wracking, and funnily enough, even the approaching Christmas holidays failed to cheer the fifth-years up as much. It was shocking how ONE person could affect the mood of an entire school to this extent...

"So, what plans this holidays?" Ryan asked Isabella one morning, as they strode around the bustling lanes of Hogsmeade. It was their last Hogsmeade trip before they broke off for Christmas holidays a week later. His question though, instantly brought a smile to her face.

"Oh, it's going to be pretty exciting, really! The girls have decided to spend Christmas at _my_ place this year!" she said, hopping excitedly on the spot. "Lily said she'd come by on Christmas morning while Clay and Mary would arrive two days in prior itself! Alice, though, might drop by _after_ Christmas... I hope," she added, silently praying that she does decide to come after all.

"That's bloody brilliant!" he said, chuckling heartily at the wide smile on her face. "It's a shame though, 'cause, I was planning on inviting you over to _my_ house for Christmas actually," he said, taking a large bite off the chicken leg he held in his hand. "Everyone's going to be there, including a few of them seventh-year lads."

"You're not _joking_? Why, that's horrible!" she said, instantly crestfallen at the thought that she'd be missing all the fun. "Oh, I'd have _loved_ to be there so very much!" she grumbled, making him laugh even more.

"Well, next time I plan something like this, I promise to ask you _first_!" he said, pressing his lips to her forehead. "Besides, we still have plenty more holidays before I graduate, don't we?"

"Hardly any, if you ask me," she said breathily, while battling a whole bunch of butterflies in her stomach, making him break into laughter once again.

"Good Merlin, I haven't come across anything cuter than you ever!" he said, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug that she gladly accepted against the biting cold.

Over the last few weeks, Isabella had grown very fond of Ryan and, the fact that he was so into her seemed to excite her every single time. Life was perfect - for now at least...

~oO **December 22, 1975**

"Oh, no, isn't this getting a bit too evident for words?!" Calum Harper practically whistled as Ryan skittishly led Isabella into his compartment that was now bursting with several sixth and seventh-years students. "Making it official, then, eh?" he asked, nudging Ryan teasingly on his side.

"About time, don't you think?" Ryan replied with a laugh, making her blush terribly. And even through the glass door, Isabella could see all the eager faces of his friends, waiting to induct her formally into their giant group (it would've been fuller had the Marauders been here too...). Clarissa jumped up from her seat and bounded merrily towards Isabella as they pushed past Calum and squeezed into the overflowing little compartment.

"I can't thank the stars _enough_! I've had it up HERE with this bunch of morons for so long, it's not even funny!" she laughed while throwing her hands around her fellow Quidditch-teammate.

"Oh, I'd gladly knock every last one of them through the hoops if you want me to!" Isabella joked back, feeling over the moon at the reception she was getting from this bunch. Several boys shifted about and made room for the new couple, making her feel both awkward and special at the same time.

"So, Williams, be honest..." started Daniel Willets, Ryan's best friend, sporting the most wicked smile ever, "what did it take Ryan to _finally_ extricate you from the clutches of your _girl gang_?!" He could hardly contain his mirth as he spoke those words.

"Yeah! We call you lot the ' _Queer Quintuplets_ '!" roared Robert Mathews, a seventh-year student, making the whole compartment break into snickers.

"Honestly! You never see them apart ever and now, it's making _me_ wonder too," added Oliver Wharton, Ryan's other best friend and Isabella's teammate. "How _did_ he manage to single you out?" he asked, his tone dripping with fake curiosity.

She looked at Ryan who seemed mighty embarrassed of his thick friends. Smiling reassuringly, she said, "Well, all he had to do was _ask_!" she giggled and gave his hand a tight squeeze while the boys gave appreciative nods in Ryan's direction.

"Wait, hang on a minute, does that mean you'd say yes to anything I ask?" Ryan quipped, instantly triggering a volley of wolf-whistles from everyone around them.

"Don't push your luck, Evantrap!" Puck Oleus, Ryan's classmate, called out cockily, making everyone burst out laughing while Ryan dramatically hung his head in mock disappointment.

The merriment in their compartment continued on as the train sped past beautiful snow-covered plains and mountains while the children either entertained themselves with a fine game of Wizard Chess and miniature Quidditch or chatted away till their throats hurt. Around half-past noon, most of the extended group of sixth and seventh year boys finally started to trickle out, leaving the compartment all to themselves.

And right in the middle of Isabella's _fourth_ game of miniature Quidditch with Clarissa, Daniel and Oliver was when the door to their compartment burst open and in strode a haggard-looking Frank Longbottom.

"Hey, Izzy!" he said, almost out of breath. "Thank Merlin! Took me... SO long to find you!" he wheezed while nursing a stitch to his side.

Isabella frowned at his red face.

"Frank? What's happened? Were you running?" she asked, her hand still suspended in mid-air.

"Izzy... You need to come with me. It's serious..."

"Sirius?! What's happened to Sirius?" she said, springing up to her feet without even the slightest thought. Her stomach jolted uncomfortably as she mulled over a million different possibilities of what could've happened _so bad_ that even Frank looked so worried.

"Well, see for yourself," he replied, shrugging shakily. And that was all she needed to hear. Without even giving her new friends a look back, she dashed out of the compartment and jogged after Frank, ducking and hurtling past bodies on the way. "Is he hurt, Frank?" she asked anxiously. "Some prank gone wrong? Oh, he's such a _pillock_!" she said through gritted teeth.

"You can say that again!" he replied over his shoulder. She thought she saw a hint of a smile on his face as he said it, but brushed it off thinking it was her imagination. He continued to lead her to Merlin-knew-where, before finally stopping dead in front of a silent compartment. Grimacing slightly, he turned towards her and spoke very slowly, "Now, Izzy, please don't freak out too much when you see him. It's not as bad as it looks, I swear," he said, eyeing her widely.

Her heart was beating so fast now that, she was positive she'd faint any second now. "Good Griffin, Frank, just let me in!" she yelled, pushed him aside and yanked the door open.

Before she could even register what was happening, a jet of water hit her straight in the face with so much force, she almost tumbled backwards and hit the wall behind her! Screaming in utter and complete panic, she held her hands above her head to brace herself from the ice-cold water to no avail.

"What is this? STOP IT!" she screamed, still being jetted at with brutal force. "I am so going to KILL you Sirius Orion Black!" she howled over and above the sound of the water and the irritating laughter that surrounded her.

"Sirius, honestly. That's enough, mate!" someone said, and she couldn't thank them enough for finally coming to their senses.

"Alright, alright, fine!" she heard him call back to Frank amid uncontrollable laughter, before finally mouthing the counter-spell. The water stopped almost immediately and that split-second was enough for her to launch her sopping wet body straight on top of Sirius and knocking him to the ground entirely.

"You're such a TWIT, Sirius!" she screamed, finding every ounce of energy left in her body to punch him as hard as possible.

"Ow! OW! Stop it, that really hurts!" he yelled back, writhing and twisting in pain as she continued to unleash her fury on him.

"Yes! Go for it, Izzy! Hit him more! You know he deserves it!" Remus cheered on, making her that much angrier.

" _What the hell was that for_?!" she bellowed, punching him even harder now.

"It was a PRANK! Let me go! HELP ME!" he screamed dramatically, despite not feeling a THING.

"ARGH! I HATE YOU, Sirius!" she yelled one last time before shoving him backwards. "Why _ME_?! Why don't you play your stupid pranks on someone _else_ , you knobhead! Why is it always _me_?!"

"And yet you fall for it _every single time_?" asked James, looking just as scornful as Sirius.

"Of course, she does!" Sirius guffawed and high-fived Peter on the side. "It's why I target her every single time! Works like a charm, eh, dearie?" he said, pouting mockingly at Isabella.

Feeling humiliated and stupid beyond belief, she chose not to answer and simply stood up, splattering the floor with a pool water around her, while the boys roared with laughter behind her.

"For the record, though, I asked him NOT to do it, Izzy," Remus said, half-laughing and half-apologetic and started to dry her off with his wand.

"To be honest, though, I _wasn't_ expecting her to fall for this one at all!" Sirius said, still laughing coldly at his own stupid prank. "I'm still wildly taken aback, really!"

"I came because I was _worried_!" she screamed, feeling her temper rise all over again, as she heard the doors of several adjoining compartments open to see what the ruckus was about. "I was scared something happened to you, you complete arsehole! I left without even telling Ryan and now I feel so bloody stupid about myself!" Several eyebrows shot up as this piece of information hit them all.

An awkward silence fell around her even as she Remus continued to suck out all the water from her sweater and off the floor. The boys weren't laughing anymore; if anything, they actually looked a little ashamed (and a little bit impressed).

"Izzy, come on, it was just a prank," Frank started, albeit looking mighty regretful.

"Don't start with me, Frank," she mumbled.

"Told you it was wrong of you to not give Williams a shot here," James guffawed from the side, his eyes eyeing them both teasingly. The statement hit not just Isabella like a bolt of lightening—it seemed to affect Sirius too. "Too late, though, she's someone else's girl now!" he shrugged in fake disappointment, completely oblivious to the death glares that Sirius was giving him. To Isabella though, this statement had brought back memories of the party in the Common Room several weeks ago and, much to her frustration, made her feel just as horrible as she did that day.

"I've never hated you more," was the last thing she said to Sirius before storming out of that rotten place.

~oO _**King's Cross Station, London**_

From the corner of her eye, she noticed that Sirius was standing right outside the girls' compartment while Lily, Mary, Claiborne and Alice hauled their trunks and prepared to greet their families, waiting right outside their window with eager smiles. She knew quite well that Sirius was only waiting for her in this utterly 'subtle' fashion, and she was in NO mood to talk to him; _not in the slightest_! She realised she was nervous as a ferret only when she dropped ten thousand Chocolate Frogs and about thousand more Bertie Botts' from her carry-on bag.

Alice was the first to haul her trunk out and leave the compartment. As soon as she disappeared behind the door, Isabella heard her shout, _"Hey Sirius! Happy Christmas in advance! Write to me over the holidays, okay?"_ to which Isabella heard a flirtatious _"Of course! Everyday, if I have to!"_ reply from the moron.

Claiborne and Mary followed Alice and she hear pleasantries being exchanged between them and Sirius too.

"Izzy, hurry up! Everyone's left already!" said Lily, drawing out her own trunk from under the seats.

"Coming right up, Lily! Go on ahead, I just have to stuff all of this into my bag!" Isabella called back, while shoving her school robes and the other sweets messily into her trunk.

Lily nodded and exited as well, and, this time, Sirius's head bobbed in and out of view from inside the compartment. " _Sirius_?! Why are you waiting outside our... Ohhh..." came Lily's teasing voice. "Waiting for someone, sweet pea?" she giggled. "Sort of," came the hushed voice of Sirius before he added, "But I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to _you_ , now, could I?" he laughed. "Happy holidays, and please, please, _please_ promise to write to James over the holidays? He er... He's still brooding and this could cheer him up...?" he asked expectantly. "I'll think about it," she replied, giving him a cursory hug goodbye. "More importantly though, do NOT mess things up in there," Isabella heard her say to Sirius. "Handle her with care," she whispered, sporting a wide grin. Sirius grinned back and hurriedly whispered a, "Thanks for the tip," before patting her on the back one last time. Isabella had to flee the spot and it had to happen NOW! She hurriedly yanked her trunk out to make a quick exit only to realise Sirius was blocking her way.

Seeing him standing there brought back a flash of memories from when the two of them had first boarded this train, five years ago... And how much has she changed since then...? She realised she has lost oodles of weight since then, had grown a _lot_ taller now, her hair was longer, straighter and so much nicer, her face was less pimply and... she actually looked and felt very pretty...

"Izzy, hey... You er... Got a minute?" he asked nervously, his hands still resting on the doorway.

Isabella sighed. "Look, Sirius, if this is about what you said more than a _month_ ago, I'd say save it. You don't have to apologise for being honest," she said bluntly, making Sirius roll his eyes and mutely throw his hands up in exasperation. "Now, if you don't mind, I really have to get going. Mother's waiting right outside for me..." and tried to get past him.

"Whoa, hey, Izzy!" he said, swinging his hand around her waist and twirling her back into the compartment. "Izzy, come on! Don't do that, please! We've hardly _SPOKEN_ to each other in the last _two years_! I don't want things to get _worse_ between us because I said something that I didn't even MEAN!"

She flared up instantly. " _Excuse me_? What do you mean you didn't _mean_ what you said that day?!" she repeated, eyeing him dangerously. Her eyes were simmering with mingled expressions of anger and betrayal as she inched closer to him. " _Of course_ , you meant what you said, and you know what? I'm totally OKAY with that!" she yelled. "What I am NOT okay with, however, is you trying to _defend_ yourself now! Why are you tying to make peace with me when you couldn't even _stand_ being mentioned in the same sentence as me that day?! Why are you talking to me _now_ when no one's around?! What is this really about, Sirius? What, does the star of Gryffindor _not_ want to be even _remotely_ associated with the _least_ popular girl in our year...?!" she cried.

" _What?!_ What do you _mean,_ least popular...? _Isabella Grace Williams_ , you're all the _entire SCHOOL_ is talking about right now! Heck, do you even _know_ how many blockheads fancy you...?!"

"OH MY GOD, stop it! Do I LOOK like I care about that?!" she interjected, and the two of them ended up glaring at each other for a bit. "You know what, you'll never understand, forget I said anything!" she said, forcing herself to be calm. "I can handle it, Sirius, I can handle being despised by everyone..."

"Goodammit, _you're the exact_ OPPOSITE _of that..._ "

"SHUT IT! I don't _care_ about the others, Sirius, I am talking about YOU!" she screamed, and this time Sirius was truly rendered speechless as he eyed her guiltily. "I am talking about being despised by you. I am talking about feeling worthless, and being an embarrassment to YOU..." she said, as her lips quivered uncontrollably. "It hurts a lot, I'm not going to lie, but I will live I can assure you that..." she said, making eye her helplessly.

"That's unnecessary..." he began, but shut up when he realized she wasn't listening to a word of what he's saying.

"Are you really _that_ ashamed of me, Sirius?" she finally asked him, coming straight to the point, making him protest defensively.

"NO, Izzy, come _on_! Everything's coming out sounding so wrong...!" he exclaimed, rubbing his temple. "Izzy, look, I... It's hard to admit, but I _know_ I have been mean to you on several occasions... I _can_ get carried away when I'm with James but, look... Even if I don't say it, there's truth at the bottom of it all. You _are_ , and will _always_ be one of my best friends ever, and NOTHING will change that!" he said, making her turn away exasperatedly. "Izzy, no, look!" he said, grabbing her by the hand and turning her around to face him. "I'm dead serious when I say this. I miss you, Izzy. I really, _really_ miss you..." he finally said in a low voice. He continued to hold her gaze as he slowly let his hand slip down her arm before taking her hand in his. Her eyes welled up instantly, but she managed to hold on. "I miss having you around, I miss talking to you. I'm sorry about what I said, but, I really did not mean to hurt you..."

"But you did..." she said, battling a particularly painful lump in her throat. "Especially, since... God, I can't believe I'm actually saying this out loud," she said, tearing her eyes away from him exasperatedly.

"Saying _what_ aloud?"

"It doesn't matter, Sirius," she said, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "Not after what happened that day, anyway," she said, tugging at her trunk and dragging herself out one more time only to be stopped him once again.

"Isabella, would you _stop_ being so cryptic for _TWO_ _seconds_ and actually tell me what in the world's going on?!" he yelled, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her towards him yet again. He glared at her with a mingled expression of worry, anxiety and curiosity all rolled into one.

She closed her eyes and sighed loudly, cringing with embarrassment. "Sirius, the reason why Lily teases you so much with me is... is because I..." she paused to look him straight in the eye before adding, "it's because I _actually_ feel all that for you..." she said, with a shaky voice.

Sirius's jaw dropped as he continued to stare blankly at her.

A tense moment passed when neither of them spoke. He continued to stare at her as waves and waves of shock washed over his body. " _What_?!" he managed to breathe out at long last, making her cringe even more.

"It was always you, Sirius..." she said, breaking down entirely this time. "Not Ryan, not anyone else but _you_. Despite all the times you've been mean to me, despite all the hurt, I could never stop feeling this way about you ever... I've LOST it entirely, I _know..._ "

"No... No, you've not..." he said quickly. "Izzy, come on... You..." he started, but couldn't find the right words to say to her just yet. "Since... _When_ though?"

"Sirius, look," she said. Her lips trembled as she spoke. "We can't be friends anymore. It's not fair to Ryan, really, 'cause, if there ever comes a time when I have to choose between him and you, I always end up choosing _you_. It happened even _today..._! He doesn't deserve that, he's really, _really_ so very nice... I hope you understand..." she said, as a fat tear trickled down her face.

Sirius stood there staring helplessly at her with his hands on hips as she picked up her trunk and dragged it around him get to the door. But just as she was about to get out, "Wait, wait, wait, Izzy," he said, jogged past her and stopped at the doorway, blocking her way yet again. Sighing heavily he looked at her, the sadness more than evident in his face. After a moment's pause, he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a tiny pink phial. Placing it on her palm, he spoke in a quiet voice. "Brewed this especially for you..." he said, not quite having the courage to meet her eye. "Thought I'd give it as your Christmas present this year... Felix Felicis... The next time you feel down and unlucky, think of me?" he said, heavily. "I love you, Izzy..."

Another fat tear trickled down her face, as she looked straight at Sirius. "Just not the way I do, I suppose..." she said, and a light breeze swept over them.


	10. Keeper Of The Stone

_Raven That Flies At Night: This one is for you :)_

 _Unedited..._

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Keeper Of The Stone**

* * *

She staggered towards the entrance of the compartment and was instantly hit by the absolute mayhem that endured on the platform, with children and owls and cats squealing and yawping as they flocked around eager parents. The moment she stepped in front of the door, however, several heads turned towards her.

"Ah! There she is!" exclaimed Mrs. Williams, a slender, tall woman in her early-forties, who was almost an older version of Isabella herself, with the same hazel-coloured eyes and thick, dark brown hair that she had gathered up in a bun. She looked like she had been in deep conversation with Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Jones just a moment ago while the girls had huddled together on the side, anxiously searching Isabella's face for any sign of distress. "Izzy, dear! Oh, it feels longer than four months since you left home!" she gushed. "There's my darling baby," she said, greeting her eldest daughter with the biggest bear hugs of all time.

Still teary-eyed and still feeling like a highly volatile grenade that could go off any second, she hugged her back without a word, afraid she might burst out crying stupidly all over again. Looking over her mother's shoulder, she caught Lily's eye. _Did she see us in there?_ she mouthed to Lily.

Chewing on her bottom lip, she nodded a little. _She may have_ , Lily mouthed back.

She sighed in frustration but pulled herself together. "Hi, mum. How've you been?" Isabella said, almost lifelessly.

"Oh, just the usual, but enough about me," she replied impatiently before pulling back and gracing Isabella with a look that bordered on immense pride, mild concern and a deep sense of understanding. And what she said next completely knocked the breath out Isabella. "Everything is going to be just fine, Izzy darling... You're home now, so you won't have to do all the weight-lifting alone, you know..."

"What? No! No, no, no, mother... There's nothing wrong! Did you... Oh! No, mother, we were just... _Arguing_... It's stupid... You know how he is...!"

"Oh, but, _of course_ there's nothing wrong!" she replied, chuckling uncontrollably at her teenage daughter, doing a terrible job at masking innocence. Isabella wanted to snort, but decided to simply roll her eyes. "All I'm saying is, you don't have to be brave _all_ the time... Nothing that a hot pot of tea won't fix, innit? Now, come along, the girls are waiting to say goodbye to you..." she trailed off pulling a mildly embarrassed Isabella by her hand.

"A tiny request, if I may, Mrs. Williams," said Lily, as they got closer to the group. " _Please_ could you throw a gallon of ice-cold water on Sirius's face when you see him next? _All_ of Hogwarts will thank you," she sniggered, while Claiborne vigorously nodded her approval from Isabella's other side.

Smiling back wickedly, Mrs. Williams replied, "I shall have Izzy owl you all about it," making everyone laugh out loud around her, even Isabella. After a few more moments of cheerful tittle-tattle, it was time for everyone to leave. Hugging her friends goodbye and giving her love to the Evanses, the Parkers, the MacDonalds and the Joneses, Isabella turned back to her mother. "What are we waiting for, then? Shall we leave?"

"We can't leave, Izzy, not yet. Not without..." she stopped dead in mid-sentence, even as her eyes widened in happiness at something _very tall_ standing right behind Isabella.

"Me?" said a voice.

She flashed a watery smile of happiness at Sirius, as if overwhelmed with joy at seeing her own son after a _hundred_ years. "You," she said, before going around Isabella to greet him. "Not without you," she repeated and surveyed his handsome face even as Sirius chuckled down at her silly tears before wrapping his hands around her.

"Always the same reaction _term-after-term_! Aren't you bored of us all even in the slightest, Lizzy?" he chuckled while bending down to collect all of their luggage (' _For the hundredth time, that's my mother!_ ' Isabella hissed at him from the side).

"Oh, hardly! On the contrary, I sit in my kitchen counting the days before I see you children's faces again!" she laughed, gesturing wildly at Isabella to help him with the luggage.

Isabella quickly (and most begrudgingly) bent down to pick up her own trunk. "Well, I wish McGonagall were more like you!" Sirius laughed, swatting her hand away and picking it up himself (she did not miss the glare he held in his eyes as he did).

"Why, I hope you stop giving your teachers so much trouble. Now, hurry along, Mr. Williams is waiting for us in the car. You know how he gets if we kept him waiting too long in all this madness. Oh, and your mother has sent a chauffeur-driven car to pick you up too, Sirius, dear. I suggest you drop your bags in there and ride back home with us in our car as per usual... And you told me Regulus was going to spend his holidays at your cousin's this time, didn't you? I must write to him too, the poor child... Oh, and Angela is so excited to see you two, she hasn't slept in _days_...!" she ranted away absent-mindedly, even as Sirius and Isabella followed her in absolute silence, both secretly simmering in hurt.

Some Christmas this was going to be...

\- oOo -

" _But I don't want Ryan, I want Sirius_!" Angela squealed, prompting to Isabella to go, " _Shhhhhh!_ Can you not be quiet?"

It was well past bed-time that night and Angela had sneaked into Isabella's room to sleep next to her sister, as usual.

"No! I want Regulus to be my big brother and that can happen only if you and Sirius are married! Oh, everything's ruined! _Ruined_!" she wailed, burying her face in her tiny hands. "I am going back to my room!" the ten-year-old protested crossly.

"Nooo! Angie, I haven't seen you in SO long. Besides, you know how scared I am of the dark... Please don't go!" Isabella fake-whined that her little sister naively fell for.

Angela huffed loudly. "Alright, fiiine... I'll protect you..." she said, rolling her eyes as if her staying was the biggest luxury she could give Isabella right now.

"Thank you," she said happily, as Angela flocked back on her bed. "And I am sorry, but I really like Ryan... Oh, and I've told him so much about you and he loves you already! He's nice, Angie. Just like Sirius..." Isabella said, flashing her widest and fakest of smiles, hoping that that would be enough to convince her sister. In all honesty, Isabella was more worried about getting Angela's blessing than her own parents'.

Even in the darkness, Isabella could see Angela's face fall. "So, Sirius and Regulus will never become part of our family?" she asked, pouting heavily to stop the tears from rolling down her face.

"Don't be silly now," Isabella started, despite battling a heavy heart herself. "They're Purebloods, Angie. You don't know what that means in the Magical world. Haven't you met Mrs. Black? I'm a _Muggle-born_. Him and I never stood a chance... The sooner you understand that, the better..." she said, wrapping her hands around Angela's neck. And despite feeling a burning rage for Sirius, she couldn't help but wonder if he's alright in that madhouse of his just about now...

\- oOo -

Isabella didn't know what hit her when, on 23rd morning, just a _day_ after they had stepped out of the Hogwarts Express, a sound as that of a bullet fire, enough to make her jump to the ceiling, awakened her followed by loud, excited squealing.

"It's Mary and Clay! _It's Mary and Clay_!" Angela screeched, jumping up and down on the bed, managing to fully wake her up now.

"Yes, it's US!" squealed back Mary and ran straight into little Angela's arms. Mary was so tall that she and Angela were about the same height now. "Oh, how I mished my cuddle-bunny! You're sho cute, I could you eat up!" Mary spoke through her teeth, making Angela squeal like mad in fake fear and run about the room like a deranged monkey.

"Hello, there, sleepy-head," said a much calmer voice that Isabella was greatly thankful for.

"Travel okay?" Isabella yawned happily, finally managing to sit up straight on her elbows.

"You could say that," she said, flopping next to her on the bed whilst gracing her with a look as if she expected Isabella to sprout a second head any time soon. "So... You really think you can stay away from that plonker forever?" she asked, a question she fully knew the answer to.

Isabella rolled her eyes. "Had to jump straight to that one, didn't you? You got here two seconds ago!" she said, half-smiling, half-glaring.

"Well, Izzy, the reason she got to it right away is because," Mary started, still chasing a hysterical Angela around the room, "he's _here_..." she sang, finally wrapping her hands around the tiny body of Angela and winning the fight.

"He's _what_?!" Isabella asked, sitting bolt upright in her bed and looking between Mary and Claiborne with her mouth hanging open. Claiborne was nodding silently at her with a smile that made Isabella's stomach squirm uncomfortably. Mary and Angela had finally stopped running amok in the room now, something Isabella was secretly glad about. "Sirius? He's here? _In my house_?"

And soon enough...

"What's taking you lot this long? Breakfast was ready an _hour_ ago!" came a male voice through the door and Isabella was sure her stomach had entirely melted into the bed when she saw his face stick in through the door. Like a bolt of lightening, she yanked her bedcovers up to her chin just in time. "Have I slogged and slogged for _nothing_?" he said, sounding a tad bit over-dramatic while stepping fully into the room wearing an apron.

"So sorry to disappoint you, Lord Black!" Mary squeaked sarcastically and followed it up with a clumsy courtesy. "But we were just talking to your dear love-bug about your very public discord in the train yesterday and, oh, what a sight it was to watch her burn _red_ in the face! So, naturally, we were a tad bit distracted," she piped in one breath, making Isabella instantly wish she hadn't invited her rotten friends for Christmas at all.

Sirius simply stood there, biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from bursting out laughing. "Yeah, you can forget about food for the rest of the day, MacDonald!" he said, roughly swinging his hand around her neck, making her squeal. "And don't call her that!" he added in a quieter voice as the two of them left the room. "Get down, right away, Clay!" he called over his shoulder. "And bring that potato-face along too!" Isabella heard him say from the stairs.

If Isabella knew one hard-hitting truth about Sirius, it's that, he tended to be over-the-top happy like this only when he's secretly hurting beyond measure. And if he's spending Christmas _here_ instead of at his own house, she knew without a doubt that yet another fight had exploded between him and his mother the previous night.

~oO **_30 minutes later..._**

"You know, had I known you lot are going to be here this Christmas, I might have called the lads over too!" Isabella heard Sirius tell her mother as she entered the kitchens (she had taken extra care to dress up this morning). "'Cause frankly, one shouldn't be around so many females all at once!" he guffawed only to get pelted at with button mushrooms by Claiborne and Mary.

"Well, I think you're forgetting one little detail, Black. This isn't your house to invite whoever, you know?" said Claiborne.

"Are you forgetting that I'm the most loved person in the Williams' household, Clay?" Sirius shot back with a triumphant smile making Mrs. Williams chuckle nervously because Isabella slammed the skillet so hard on the stove at the comment, it could've brought the whole house crumbling down. "I can do whatever I want! Right, Lizzy?" he continued, acting like he hadn't heard anything at all.

"Absolutely, dear," she said, giving Isabella a warning look while Sirius triumphantly stuck his tongue out at her from behind Mrs. Williams.

Grinding her teeth in irritation, she dropped a whole bag of mushrooms onto the skillet and turned the heat on.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered-yelled to Sirius as she sautéed the mushrooms most noisily. Sirius didn't say anything and continued to work on the grilled tomatoes. "You fight with your mother again?" she pressed on.

"Oh, so now we're talking again?" he asked icily, giving her a side glance.

"Don't be a prat, Sirius," she whispered back and assaulted mushrooms once again. Oddly enough, she was more than aware of four sets of eyeballs keenly watching the two of them.

"Oh!" Sirius said, a bit more loudly than now than earlier, much to her horror. The girls all exchanged awkward glances at each other, but her mother hummed away, seeming completely unperturbed by the whole thing. "Wow, really nice. _You_ ask _me_ to piss off out of your life and _I'm_ the prat? I'm curious. Do you think at all before words come out of your mouth?" he yelled, this time fully turning around to face a mortified Isabella. Everyone visibly stiffened in the kitchen, but Mrs. Williams mutely brushed away their fears and continued to serve them all breakfast as if Sirius and Isabella didn't even exist.

Isabella was stunned at his response and gaped stupidly for a moment, quite unsure how to retaliate to that. "Well... You _hurt_ me...!"

"My god, would you. Grow. _UP_? _Yes_ , I hurt you and guess what? There are going to be so many more who'll eventually hurt you a _lot_ more! Are you going to toss all of them away too or are you going to learn how to actually _deal_ with the bloody issue?"

Isabella didn't say anything and simply glared back at him whilst actively ignoring the silent sniggers coming from the onlookers.

"You know, you don't get to be this mad at _me_ for no reason...!"

"NO! _I_ get to be mad at you because I thought I meant a lot more to you!" he yelled back so loudly, Isabella was positive even her father had heard them now all the way in the living room. "And frankly, if it's this easy for you to cut me out of your life, I don't understand why you were so upset about what I said in _the first place_!"

And with that, he dumped his plate with whatever food he could get his hands on and slumped hotly in the chair closest to him.

For a fleeting second, she lost all track of what this whole fight was about or whose turn it was to be mad at _whom_! Also, she didn't know why he was this angry...

"He got into a terrible row with his mother last night because he declined the Lestranges' invite," her mother appeared out of nowhere and whispered in her ear, as if she'd heard Isabella's question.

"So, that's where Regulus is? At the Lestranges'?" Mrs. Williams nodded. "Let me guess, she asked him to leave the house because he refused to spend Christmas at his _cousin's_?" Isabella asked, feeling her temper rise at once.

Her mother nodded again. "So, be nice to him, dear," she said, watching Sirius shove truckloads of food into his mouth with a sad smile.

Time seemed to gallop by after that big showdown in the kitchen. Over the next two days, the Williams' household witnessed complete chaos as every member, including Mr. Williams, busied themselves with odd chores ranging from doing the laundry, washing the dishes, scrubbing every inch of every floor until the whole house was squeaky clean, buying any last-minute trinkets that would eventually adorn the massive Christmas tree that Mr. Williams and Sirius helped set up in one corner of the living room and by the time it struck 10'o clock on 24th evening, everyone was exhausted beyond belief.

Lily arrived at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning and brought a whole _country's_ worth of things in her tiny little travel bag, filled with presents for all. And even as all the children sat down to rip open their gifts that morning, all went to hell because, Sirius wouldn't STOP conveying his feeling of utter and complete betrayal about not getting a gift from Isabella to such an extent that she was sure he'd given Lily enough ammunition to last a lifetime! And, as if things weren't bad enough already, Claiborne felt it absolutely necessary to make Lily aware of the fact that Sirius ' _thought he meant a lot more to Isabella_ ' making her go nuts with laughter.

And in all that time, Sirius and Isabella actively took every step to avoid running into each other so much that even her _father_ , who is almost always blind to such things, started to suspect if something was going on between them.

"You know, Sirius," Mr. Williams started as everyone hungrily gathered around the dining table for some tea and biscuits that day. "if I have learnt anything about women at all in all this time," he said, gesturing to his wife and two daughters, "and this is coming from personal experience, so listen carefully. _We_ rely on logic," he said, gesturing to Sirius and himself, "while _they_ rely on tact!" he said, pointing at the rest of the room, whilst stifling a smirk. "So, I'd say it's always better to let them win a squabble no matter _how_ nonsensical their argument may be!" he concluded strongly, instantly prompting a volley of protests from all the women around them, while Sirius shook his head in mock-disbelief.

" _SO_ unfair!" he called out over and above the clamour around him.

"Oh! Such hosh-posh!" Mrs. Williams exclaimed and all the girls growled in agreement; except Isabella, obviously. She was drowning in embarrassment because, never in her wildest dreams had she imagined being the topic of discussion— _on the kitchen table_ —involving a fight—with a _BOY_!

"Anyway, what I don't understand," the handsome Mr. Williams continued, still sporting a comically confused expression on his face, "is that, if she's so mad at the poor lad here, what am I to do with the _Triumph_ that we ordered...?" — Isabella's hands flew to her face almost instinctively.

"The _what_?" asked Sirius.

" _RICHARD_!" bellowed Mrs. Williams as the rest of the Williams girls battled with mind-numbing shock at what their father had done.

"FATHER! What in the world is _WRONG_ with you?" Isabella whisper-yelled, horrified beyond words at how thick her father was.

"But... He..." Mr. Williams stuttered looking scared, knowing fully well he'd committed a ghastly 'crime' in the girl-world. "I thought..."

"What... Is going on...?" Sirius asked, looking equally mortified of the reaction this was garnering.

"It was meant to be a _SURPRISE_ , daddy!" squealed Angela as she jumped up and down in her seat in uncontained agitation. "It was going to be our Christmas present to Sirius and Regulus this year!" she wailed only to get nudged at by Isabella.

"Stop blurting out _more_ , Angela!" Isabella chided, but sighed knowing all's ruined already. Looking across the table she found Sirius smiling cheekily at her and it was SO annoying, she half-wondered if hexing all his teeth off would get classified as a crime at all.

"So you got me a present," Sirius stated plainly, not even attempting to hide the raw happiness he was deriving to look at her boiling face of defeat.

"And a _big_ one at that," Mr. Williams added with a smile whilst giving him a knowing look.

"Thanks a lot, dad," she said dryly.

~oO **26th December, 1975** **\- 5:10 AM**

Isabella woke up really early the next day and found herself choking to death between three very heavy sleeping bodies, all stacked on top of each other on her tiny bed. A warmth spread through her as she realised just how lucky she was to have these dorks as her best friends.

 _Alic_ _e, though_ , she thought to herself. The two of them had maintained a cold distance with each other ever since that incident with Lucius. She quickly made a mental note to ask Mary if Alice was planning on turning up at all and decided to end this stupid fight with her right away, because in all honesty, she really did miss talking to her and it felt unnatural that she now had only three friends instead of four.

Mary doesn't make it obvious, but it was almost a universal truth that Alice and Mary were so close, they were practically sisters. There was not one thing about Alice that Mary wouldn't know. Smiling to herself, she quietly untangled herself, slid off the bed and tip-toed out of the room to get some peace and quiet before all hell broke loose in a few hours.

The beautifully decorated Christmas tree came into view as she climbed down the stairs, glimmering and shining its light on a sleeping Sirius, who was curled up on her couch in the living room. And even as she noiselessly crossed him, she noticed how his legs were so long, they hung off the sides of their massive couch and had to everything in her power to not burst out laughing.

Flocking down noiselessly next to the tree, she quickly rummaged through all new presents that had arrived late in the evening earlier that day. Several boxes had her name on it, but the one that she was most interested to unwrap right away was the one with the name ' _Lucius Malfoy_ ' inscribed in beautiful gold lettering on a red wrapper. The idiot liked to taunt her 'Gryffindor-ness' at every possible opportunity, didn't he?

Leaning against the French-windows next to the tree, she tore the wrapper open as noiselessly as possible and nearly gasped at the beautiful vintage, globe castle of Hogwarts with snow-covered mountains and turrets; it even had a tiny Quidditch pitch with tinier players happily whizzing about the globe! The quality and the detailing on the castle was so on-point, she was sure this must have been very, very expensive.

 _'Wanted to give you something that reminded you of everything you loved dearly…_ _It changes seasons and is magicked to imitate the landscape of our school day-after-day. Oh, also the tiny players? I had them make one like me and one like you, so we can play Quidditch in this little globe forever._

 _Happy Christmas, Bella, and please don't lose your hair over how expensive this may have been—you're worth all the gold I spent on it._

 _P.S. Thanks for the Wardian case. Are you TRYING to turn me into a pteridomaniac?_ _Just kidding. I'll take good care of the ferns.'_

Isabella's eyes were watering now, her hands clasped tightly over her mouth to save herself from bursting out laughing. Typical Lucius. Never openly funny, but can drive anyone crazy to the point of stuffing one's face with slugs!

Just as she was placing her gift by the window, however, something suddenly caught her eye: a streak of light flashed before her eyes, spiking up her curiosity instantly... Something about it screamed 'Magic' and it felt very, very unnatural and out-of-place. Jumping up to her feet, she looked into the silent night, her senses fully alert now. At first, she passed it off as just a large trashcan, but as she looked more carefully, her heart skipped a beat when she realized it was actually a person—bent double with age, but standing stalk-still with the help of a large cane. Who was it? And why were standing outside her house? Were they waiting for someone? It surely did look like it…

Giving Sirius one sweeping glance, she pulled her wand out, threw a coat over her shoulders, and silently slipped out through the entrance. Her teeth started to chatter the minute she stepped out in the cold, making her reconsider her decision entirely, but the sight of the old lady standing there in the middle of the road, covered in snow and with nothing but a black shroud over her shoulders made her want to know more.

Hiding in the shadows, she moved as noiselessly towards the woman as possible, until she was only ten feet away from her, and waited with bated breath, wand at the ready.

The sky was turning a deep shade of blue now, and the sun was approaching fast, but the witch seemed to be in no hurry to leave, still standing stalk-still for several more minutes. Isabella was starting to feel really stupid about herself now and was about to turn back when something thick and black, like tar, dropped on the snow-covered road, several feet ahead of the old lady. She froze in pure horror as she saw a second and a third drop of black oily liquid that started to sizzle and boil against the cold surface. A second later, it started to splutter and spew a thick black smoke that rose up in the air, swirling and curling into itself until it solidified to reveal another dark figure in its wake.

Isabella's heart started to hammer hard against her chest as she watched the second dark figure look up straight into the face of the old lady, before taking a step towards her. This was definitely Dark Magic and Isabella was officially starting to sink into full-blown panic at the revelation. As if working on its own accord, her legs started move backwards, trying to take her as far away from this scene as possible. She hadn't taken _two steps_ when a pair of hands appeared out of nowhere and wrapped tightly around her mouth, making her melt entirely in fear.

' _Who are you? LET ME GO!_ ' she screamed into his hand, but not a sound was heard.

" _Stay quiet_ , you idiot!" Sirius whispered into her ears and did his best to stop her from madly flailing her hands. And she didn't know why, but it took her several moments to realise it was just Sirius before she finally calmed down and froze in place.

"What the hell is happening here?" she heard Sirius whisper to himself as the two hooded figures drew close to each other.

Looking up and surveying the place around them, the second figure finally spoke. "Why'd you summon me _here_?" To her utter astonishment, it sounded like a little boy!

The old lady didn't say anything and continued to simply stare at the little boy through glassy eyes. Without a word, she merely raised her hand and pointed straight at a house on her right. Isabella followed the woman's hand and realised she was pointing at _her_ house.

"That's ridiculous!" the young boy sneered (behind her, she felt Sirius's body tense a bit as if he instantly recognised that voice). "The Keeper of the Stone couldn't possibly be in _there,_ " the boy continued, sounding a bit too confident for his age. He took another step closer and knocked his hood off to reveal his face. "You're lying. Because, that's where my friends live," Regulus said, coldly nodding at the house. "And they're _Muggles_."

"Sirius, what the hell is going on? Go get him...!" she whispered urgently.

"Not yet. I want to know what this is about," he whispered back.

The old witch latched on to the little boy's gaze and a slight smile cut her features. "She's the Keeper... And the Stone belongs to _her_." the lady whispered, still pointing at Isabella's house, sending an odd shiver down her spine.

"She... _What_?" Regulus stuttered, still unable to come to terms with this new piece of information. "You mean, _Izzy_?" he squeaked incredulously, bewildered beyond expression. "But... Does she have it with her right now?"

"No... But, you can tell your Lord that as long as she's alive, he can never have the Stone."

His eyes widened in shock. "H-How dare you?" Regulus growled, greatly taken aback at her bold defiance. "The Lord hasn't given you a _choice_ in this matter, you old hag! It's an _order_ and all orders MUST be obeyed. That is, if you don't want to die a painful death...!"

"I don't take orders."

"Just tell me where the Stone is and be off!" Regulus yelled breathlessly. "He won't hurt you, I promise," he begged, sounding an awful lot like a little child sent to deal with matters far out of his concern. "He just wants the Stone... Please...!" his voice trailed off as if he was already starting to regret coming on this mission.

" _Sirius_! DO SOMETHING!" Isabella whispered-yelled at him, feeling more pity than fear for him right now, but he firmly shook his head.

"Trust me... There's more..." he whispered back, alert as a gundog.

The old witch shook her head just a little. " _S_ _he..._ Is the Keeper," she repeated and smiled. Her face was SO old and wrinkly, it was almost painful to look upon. "She," she simply said and this time slowly started to turn her head to her right. "You," she said, now staring straight at Isabella in the shadows! Both Sirius and Isabella nearly jumped up in fright as the old witch's eyes locked on to them. "As long as a Haden is alive, no one shall _ever possess the Stone..._ " she rasped, smiling terribly.

"NO! You lie! How... How am I to say that to them?!" Regulus yelled nervously, almost shaking in undulated fear. He still hadn't noticed the two of them in their hiding spot. "Just... Just give it to me or...! Or I'll hurt you...!" he said and swiftly drew out his wand.

Isabella was almost about faint in panic as she envisioned this whole thing rolling out of control when...

"Alright, _that's enough_!" Sirius yelled, and in the blink of an eye, he had leaped out of the shadows and stepped between the witch and his brother, his wand pointing straight at the old hag's face. Something clattered to the floor at that moment, and Isabella didn't even have to look to know that Regulus had dropped his wand at the sight of his murderous brother. Sirius's left hand had instinctively shot out to shield his Regulus from harm as he glared daggers in the witch's direction. "I don't know what this is about... but you better leave my brother alone or watch my _destroy_ you," Sirius growled as he twisted his wand into position.

"Sirius, don't do anything STUPID now! We're still underage, we can't use Magic outside of...!"

"Shut up, Izzy," he said, never taking his eyes off the woman. "Who are you?" he finally asked.

"The Stewardess of the Stone," she replied calmly, still not making any sense whatsoever. "And you're one half of The Pair..."

"What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?!" he yelled, inching closer to her still.

The old witch merely chuckled to herself, sounding more dangerous than ever. Locking her eyes with his, she finally wiped her face of all emotion and shook her head. "You shall know when the time is ripe."

Sirius's eyes immediately darted towards Isabella in confusion who returned it with a bewildered shrug.

"Our paths are destined to cross one more time," she spoke again, drowning them all further in a pit of confusion. "Not too long from now," she said and smiled eerily. Before anyone could even grasp what she had said or understood what it all meant, the old witch raised her hand, clicked her fingers together and disappeared instantly in a puff of smoke, leaving them all in a complete daze.

And just like that, the spot where she had stood was now empty, without even the slightest trace of her existence up until a second ago. A cold breeze blew over their faces as the three of them slowly collected themselves.

"What just happened..." Isabella asked shakily, finally breaking the ice, bewildered beyond belief. "What the hell, Regulus?" she yelled, suddenly remembering the height of his stupidity.

"Sirius... Izzy... Wh-What are you... What are you two doing here...?" he stuttered even as a murderous-looking Sirius inched closer to him.

"Answer her," he said, looking deadly. "What the hell WAS that?" he bellowed. "So, _that's_ what you've been invited to the Lestranges' house this Christmas, eh? To learn _Dark Magic_? To get you brain-washed and pull you over to the Dark Side... _and follow orders like this_?" he roared and grabbed hold of Regulus's robes before glaring into his face in pure rage.

"No... No... Leave me alone! You won't understand!" Regulus screamed, sounding like a very stupid thirteen-year-old.

"You IDIOT! Do you not understand what this is about?! You're _underage_ to begin with and yet, they make YOU run their errands?! You can barely defend your pet RABBIT! Do you realise this kind of thing could've got you _KILLED_?!"

"NO! Let me go!" he screamed and shoved his hand into his pocket to pull out a black slimy substance and threw it into his mouth.

"NO! Regulus, what are you doing?" Sirius asked, horrified, and even as he struggled with him to get him to spit it out, his brother had started to turn a deep shade of black and his entire body started to started to liquefy. It was almost terrible to watch Sirius struggle to keep Regulus's once solid body together as it continued to melt away in his hands until all that was left was a puff of black smoke. Regulus had returned to the Lestranges', most likely to report back everything the old hag had said.

"It's a lot bigger than we thought," Isabella whispered, still staring dumbfoundedly at the place where Regulus had disappeared.


	11. Dark and Black

**Chapter 11: Dark and Black**

* * *

A cold breeze blew over their faces, tingling the emptiness that prevailed between them. They may not have seen too much, but it went without saying that this was just the tip of the iceberg... What was coming for them in actuality was much, _much_ bigger and the mere thought of it left Isabella numb with dread...

Neither had moved in a really long time, feeling far too weak to come to terms with the reality just yet. And how could they? How could they feel safe anymore when there was a self-proclaimed Dark Lord at large who was forming an army of blood-obsessed fascists, feeding their minds with assurance and hope that one day Magic will be 'exclusive' again and, going to such lengths as using children as throwaway tools to run errands for him? _Who does that...?_

"What's the world coming to...?" Isabella finally breathed, staring into empty space, too lost for words. "Does the Ministry..."

"They don't know _shit_!" Sirius growled and sighed heavily, as if his whole world had come crumbling before his eyes. "Merlin's Beard, is this really happening?" he said, hyperventilating at the mere thought. "That was Dark Magic, wasn't it...? Regulus is performing Dark Magic at _thirteen..._ "

"Sirius, no..."

"No, we have to find him, Izzy! Should we call the boys...? Peter's too far away but James would come in a heartbeat, you know...?"

"What? _No_!" said Isabella immediately, sensing the direction he was headed in. "No, no, no, Sirius, don't do that, don't _lose_ it just yet, what's the matter with you? We don't even _know_ what we're dealing with and you're already planning on getting MORE people involved in this?"

"Well, _what else do I do_?"

"Staying CALM would be good, thank you!"

"Wh— _Excuse me_?" he said, gaping incredulously at her. "Stay calm...? Stay _CALM_?" he stressed one more time, as if reconfirming if he had heard her right. " _HOW do we stay calm after what we just saw_?!" he yelled, his eyes the size of tennis balls now.

"Sirius, for goodness' sake...!" said Isabella and stamped her foot in frustration.

"No!" he bellowed and inched ominously close to her "They've got _Regulus_... Izzy," he said almost lifelessly, the desperation more than evident in his voice. "Merlin knows who all he is dealing with or what they're even doing to him this very second! We _have_ to do something and we have to do it NOW!" he yelled, glaring daggers at her.

" _Absolutely NOT_! You may feel solely responsible for him, but don't forget that you're _underage_ too, Sirius! You too are still a CHILD!" she shrieked back and attempted to match the ferocity of his glare. When he opened his mouth to retaliate, she swiftly cut him again. "No, I don't care how much of a 'stud' you think you are, I WON'T let you storm senselessly into Bellatrix's face and demand an explanation!"

" _Oh_?" he bellowed sarcastically and got ready to _destroy_ her entirely. "Nice! LOVE the care and concern, by the way, it's precious. Tell me, though, what do _you_ suggest we do, then, summon DUMBLEDORE instead?"

"MAYBE!" she yelled and froze in place as a sudden realisation dawned on her. "Maybe..." she repeated and a shiver ran up her spine. Sirius looked a little taken aback too at the odd expression on her face as her mind started to race with information. "Yes, we... We _write_ to Dumbledore perhaps..." she said, more to herself than to Sirius.

"Are you fucking _serious_ , Izzy?"

" _Yes_!" she exclaimed breathily, and unconsciously held on to the front of his shirt for support. "Yes, I've never been more serious and you better listen to me right now!" she said and stared straight into eyes even as waves and waves of revelation suddenly hit her out of nowhere. "More than a month ago Dumbledore had asked me to read up about an ancient legend regarding the Gryffindors... He thought I might find it 'interesting' for some reason and I didn't understand then as to _why_ he felt that way, but I think I get it now... I think he was trying to send me a message, a forewarning. _I think he wanted me looking out for you_!" she exclaimed, shaking from head to toe with the sudden realisation.

Sirius merely blinked. " _Begging_ you to start making sense..."

"Merlin's Beard, do you listen at all? The old witch called you ' _one half of The Pair_.' Sirius, there's a myth that an ancestor of Slytherin cursed the Gryffindor bloodline to be doomed every time two people from the cursed lineages formed a bond!" she said, shaking more than ever. "They're called 'The Cursed Pair' and I think I know who this may be about that... I think _you_ are the carrier of that curse..." she concluded, hardly audible now.

Sirius didn't say anything and simply stared at her, gawking incredulously. "Why, isn't that the most absurd thing I've ever heard..."

"I know how it sounds!" she screamed, writhing in frustration. "But if _Dumbledore_ thinks there's something there, I'm going to believe it," she said, decidedly. "Which is why I think it's best if we actually write to him..."

"Yeah, you're actually FULL mental right now."

"No, I'm NOT! Look. Do you _trust_ me?" she asked and roughly shook him by his shoulders.

Sirius didn't reply immediately and simply stared into her boiling red face as if tossing that question over and over in his head.

"Izzy, what if something were to...?"

"NOTHING'S going to happen to Regulus, you think they'd dare to lay a finger on him knowing he's Walburga Black's _son_? She'd skin them alive and you know it! Besides, by the looks of it, Dumbledore already seems to be on to something here... He knows and _sees_ what's happening, something even the Ministry is completely blind to. And I know him well enough to say that he wouldn't _dream_ of putting his students' lives in danger! Nothing is going to happen to Regulus and you _have_ to trust me on that, Sirius."

Sirius still didn't look convinced enough.

" _Well_?" she repeated, looking fiercer than ever. And even as he continued to stare at her, a wave of tranquility seemed to wash over his face. "Yes," he finally said, nodding most sincerely. "Okay, fine, you're right, you made a pretty good point there," he said, finally cracking a smile. "Wow, you're aggressive!" he added, grinning for full measure now.

"Well, I have to be when I'm dealing with knobheads like you, don't I?" she sniffed, stifling a smile herself. "Let's get back inside, I'm freezing," she added, pulling the jacket tighter around her body.

"And I'm starving!"

"How'd you find me, though?" she asked, as they made their way back to Williams' Cottage.

"You left the door open!" he said, rolling his eyes at her. "My feet started to freeze, and when I woke up, I found the door ajar, wrapping paper strewn everywhere, a hideous lookalike of the Shrieking Shack sitting next to it..."

"...it's _Hogwarts_!"

"...and an empty coat stand! And since I am more than aware of how _circumspect_ you are," his voice dripped of sarcasm, "I knew right away that you'd gone looking for trouble," he said, shaking his head unforgivingly at her. "Thanks, though."

"What for?"

"Everything... Had you not gone, I would not have come after you, and Regulus would've been alone there. So, thank you for that. Thanks for letting me stay..." he said counting through his fingers. "And thanks for that, she's a beauty," he said, nodding fondly at the 1959 Triumph 650 T-120 Bonneville standing outside her house. "Must've been crap expensive... How're you paying for it?" he grinned as they slipped into the living room once again.

Isabella simply smiled and pulled out the teapot to fix them with something warm. "Well, dad paid for it and I'm paying him back in monthly installments," she said, beaming at him.

"Wow," he muttered, as he settled down on the kitchen counter looking mildly impressed. "I'm a... I'm a _lousy_ friend, aren't I?" he said, running his hand through his long, jet black hair.

Isabella nodded enthusiastically. "The _worst_ ," she confirmed.

"Why'd you do it then?"

"'Scuse me?" she said, handing him his mug of piping hot tea while taking a sip herself.

"The motorbike. I suck as a _human being_..." he said matter-of-factly. "You shouldn't be so nice to me and yet, you are. So, I want to know what the deal is..." he said, suddenly cracking up a mischievous smile. "Does... this have something to do with your ' _hearty_ '" he said making air quotes with his fingers, "confession of feelings for me...? Back in the train?" he asked, doing everything in his power to keep a straight face.

"Oh, my GOD!" she exclaimed, almost like an involuntary response at that stupendously gross suggestion. "You did _not_ just..." she started and huffed angrily, but no matter how hard she tried, the smile that he was flashing her way seemed to make her face burn so much, it made her tea seem cold. "Obviously NOT!" she finally managed to say. "I got it for you 'cause I've spent the last four years watching you _drool_ over cousin Al's motorbike. It's something your mother would never let you have, and I... I liked watching that sparkle in your eyes when you ride one, so..."

"Ah, I get it now!" Sirius exclaimed, nodding his head more teasingly than ever. "You wanted to check me out when I am on of those... Quite understandable! Don't worry, I'm not judging you," he guffawed, almost spraying out all the tea in his mouth. "When something's this good," he said, gesturing at his own face and broke out laughing, as if it needed no further explanation.

Shaking her head weakly, she muttered, "Merlin, help me," and quickly downed her tea as he cracked up laughing even more at her face. "So, in conclusion," he started, rounding up on her even as she avoided full eye-contact with the prat, "you _did_ get me the motorbike because you fancy me!" he laughed looking down at her from over her shoulder as she grudgingly washed her mug in the sink. "I still want to know one other thing, though..."

"How to choke and die in your own vomit?" she suggested, hissing into his face and grabbed his mug and got down to washing it too because she desperately wanted to be doing _something_ other than simply blush furiously. "No," he said matter-of-factly. "I want to know how long you've... You know," he said, gesturing to all of himself, again going on the presumption that he didn't need any words to get his point across.

She rolled her eyes as dramatically as possible and said, "I'd rather stick my wand in my eye than tell you that," making him howl in laughter. "You're funny," he wheezed even as she irritatedly dashed towards to the living room.

"Whoa, Izzy, wait!" he called out and pulled her casually by the hand, wearing the biggest smile she'd ever seen on him. "Honestly, come on, I need to know, alright? It's... Kind of important," he swung her around to face him and looked teasingly into her face.

" _WHY_? Just let me GO!"

"No, _why would I_? This is GOLD!" he chuckled wide-eyed, making her want to club him more than ever. "Now, quick, give me a number."

" _I am not telling you that_ , what's the matter with you?!"

"I'm just curious, is all!"

"GO TO HELL!" she said firmly before yanking her hand out of his grip and power-walking her way to the living room.

She could hear him chuckling to himself behind her again. Jogging towards her, he threw his hand around her neck and grinned cheekily before saying, "But I need to know! And you KNOW it's faster if you just tell me now instead of fighting me. You'll never win this battle, Williams, don't be delusional now!" he snickered when she opened her mouth to contradict that ridiculous fact.

Gritting her teeth in annoyance, and swaying under Sirius's abnormally heavy arm, she turned to look at him and said, "Why do you want to know so bad?"

"Why don't you want to talk about it?"

"Why would ANYONE want to talk about this, Sirius, what are you, cracked in the head?!"

"No, it's just very interesting to know that you're even remotely capable of crushing on someone! All this while, you seemed like a tree to me, you know? All dry and dull and dead and _boring_! So, imagine my surprise when I learn that my childhood best friend really is a 'human with feelings'!" he gasped, looking at her wide-eyed like a child who was shoved into Neverland. "And believe me, I am HONOURED that you have the hots for _me_ of all..."

She scoffed. "You wish!"

Sirius suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and turned her around to face him, looking oddly too solemn for words. "How long, Izzy?" he asked her one more time.

"Three years," the words simply slipped out of her lips on its own accord.

His eyebrows shot up a little in surprise. "Three _years..._? Why didn't you tell me all along?"

"Didn't see the point."

"D'you always assume shit like that?"

"Tell me I'm wrong."

Sirius didn't say anything and simply stared down at her, too blown away for words. "I thought we told each other everything," he said at long last.

"Sirius, I don't even know which leggy blonde is your latest conquest as of yesterday. So, don't kid yourself..."

At that very instant, a sudden ticking resounded around them, breaking the spell entirely. "Oh, damn," Sirius muttered as he lifted his left hand and found fifteen tiny moons in their different phases swirling serenely around his wrist. "It's time already...?" he muttered distractedly to himself, as a near full moon cast it's cool light on their faces.

"Wow..." Isabella cooed, awestruck at the brilliance. "You magicked my watch to do that?"

"Firstly, it's _mine_ now," he said with a deadpanned look, although still sounding oddly nervous. "Secondly, help me pack, I have to leave to Remus's in sometime."

\- o -

And just like that, he was gone, with his backpack laden with tons and tons of food that included at least fifty corned beef sandwiches, a thousand chocolate chip cookies and _two_ large cakes baked personally by Mrs. Williams for him and the boys. And in a couple more days, the girls would leave too to spend New Year's with their families and Isabella was left missing them all already...


	12. Ink & Owl Feathers

**A/N: RedButterfly:** You have no idea how much I enjoy reading your reviews. :) Feels great to know that your work is being well-received, so I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Also, your theory of the Sacred Age being similar to the Trojan story? It is EXACTLY that! :) I wanted the magical world to have its own tragic loss and a war being fought over a woman, so yes, it is the equivalent to the Trojan War. I hope you enjoy the rest of my story.

Also, thanks to all my other readers and reviewers. You make me want to keep going.

 **Note:** This chap is mostly of the slew of letters that got exchanged during the hols. Also, the second half of the story is the actual prequel written by JKR. I do not own it, I simply made it fit my story here.

\- Shil

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Ink & Owl Feathers**

* * *

-oO **Owl Posts** Oo-

~oO **Grimmauld Place, Islington**

 **26th December, 1975**

Dear Sirius,

You can be at no loss, Sirius, to understand the reason of this letter. I hope your conscience does not fail you this time at least! Your impudence of blatantly declining your aunt's invitation and defying your own mother's wishes to have you spend Christmas with your extended family is, by far, the most presumptuous act I have experienced from you till date. And if that was not bad enough, a report of a most alarming nature has reached me yesterday.

Is it true, Sirius, that you, my first born and the future Lord of the House of Black, are finding refuge under the disgraceful roof of our Muggle neighbours whom I have detested all through my life? Though I know it must be a scandalous falsehood, I wanted to write to you personally to hear you contradict it and also to make my sentiments known to you. I am well aware, Sirius, that such an occurrence is far from possible, as the blood of your ancestors still doth run in your veins, but I am not to be trifled with.

If you are, indeed, breathing the same air as our lowly neighbours, I insist that you return home at once! I shall not take kindly to becoming the laughing stock among the elite few just because of your arrogance and decision to rebel against your own mother and her humble wishes! The onus of the House of Black is on your shoulders, Sirius. As the first-born male child in the entire Black family, Regulus and all of the Pureblood community will soon be looking your way to steer the course; I hope you would act maturedly going forward and not bring more despair to your mother.

It's what you owe to yourself and to all of your family.

Also, I hope you are well. I didn't think you would not return home in so long, Sirius. I hope you realise I only have the best interest at heart for you and your future. Come home soon, my son.

Love,

Mother

~oO **Williams' Cottage, Islington**

 **26th December, 1975**

Dear Professor Dumbledore,

I am sending Whispers, the fastest owl around town, so that you shall receive my letter at the earliest.

Professor, I know that you may already be well aware of the goings-on in the Magical world, but I feel obliged to state the obvious either way—IT IS BAD. There's just so much to tell you, I don't even know where to begin. This Dark Lord is absolutely nuts! Lorak, the goblin, is right—he is amassing followers like bees to a comb and the situation is getting out of hand faster than I can spell TROUBLE. What's worse is the fact that Regulus has gotten embroiled in all this madness too. I don't think he even knows what he's got himself into. Begging you to intervene and make him see the light before it's too late.

Also, Regulus was sent to extract information about some stone from an old witch who had summoned him to my neighbourhood. Oddly enough, they kept referring to some stone that this Dark wizard is seeking and she told him I was the 'Keeper of the Stone'. I want to get explicit on this, Professor—I may have a lot of useless objects stashed away in my trunk, but a STONE is definitely not one of them! So, tomorrow, if the Ministry comes knocking on my door, can I count on you to bail me out? Truth be told, I am more scared of what my Mother would say than going to Azkaban for this...

Oh, and I now know why you made me read that chapter in the book. Do you also think Sirius might be the carrier of the curse? Is the story of the curse even true, Professor? Should I be concerned...?

Awaiting your letter, Professor.

Yours sincerely,

Isabella Grace Williams

\- oOo -

~oO **Williams' Cottage, Islington**

 **26th December, 1975**

Sirius, (and James, if you're reading this too),

I hope you reached safely. You do realise it's kind of strange that you left just like that for no apparent reason, don't you? Mother's worried. Oh, and she wanted to know if the boys liked the cake at all. And please, oh, please, don't get into trouble while you're at Remus's! It's bad enough that all four of you are under the same roof at the same time, it also happens to be New Year's in a few days, I can only imagine how mad it's about to get over there.

And YES, Sirius, I have written to Dumbledore already. Have told him about Regulus and the old hag—and since it's Dumbledore that we're talking about, you can be rest assured that Regulus isn't a lost cause yet.

I know better than to expect a reply in return from you, so I'm just going to say bye now.

Izzy

P.S. Remus, I thought that mind-reading journal you got Clay for Christmas was really cute!

\- oOo -

~oO **Lupin Lodge, Glamorgan**

 **27th December, 1975**

Dear Mum,

Wow, I couldn't get past the _second_ line of that letter without wanting to punch ALL of you Pureblood-obsessed maniacs right in the face. Also, sorry to poke holes in your hopes, but YES, I was staying with Izzy and her family when you lovingly kicked me out of my own house (also, I'm not entirely sure you know WHAT your dear second son was actually invited to to the the Lestranges'. Might you look into it a little? Quite sure you won't like what you hear).

And no, the Black blood 'doth' not run in my veins, are you sure you didn't actually pick me up from the side of the road when I was an infant?

Stay golden.

Sirius Black, proud member of the Lupin household and the current eye-candy of Isabella G. Williams.

\- oOo -

~oO **Lupin Lodge, Glamorgan**

 **27th December, 1975**

Hello Darling!

And you thought I wouldn't write back.

Bike ride to Wales was pleasant, thanks for asking, and you can tell Lizzy that James alone devoured three-quarters of the cake, the monster. Also, it's cute that you want me to think your dear mother is worried for me when it really is YOU. Fear not, cupcake, Remus simply had a furry little problem (as James would call it) that needed my immediate attention. We will be spending the rest of our vacation here at Remus's, but don't worry, I shall run back into your arms in no time, my baby love!

Speaking of Dumbles, have you heard back from him as yet? I haven't stopped thinking about that Stone that Regulus was sent after, ever since. And from what I've read till now, there's just one ruddy magical stone that belongs to this really old wizard that is rumored to act like an elixir, but I doubt if there's any truth to it at all. Also, there's literally nothing about an ancient cursed Gryffindor couple in any book till now, which makes me believe that the legend is right: there's no written record about this Age save the one copy you have. Quite a mystery, eh? Anyway, remind me to bring this up with Dumbly when we're back at Hoggs.

Also, I hope you haven't yet vomited the whole thing to the girls already... Begging you to keep that pretty mouth shut for just a little while longer. Deal?

By the way, Rosie, Remus's extremely voluptuous neighbour, is such a treat, it's unbelievable! (Stop rolling your eyes, YOU were the one who insisted on knowing every little detail of my life and I'm delivering!).

Hugs and kisses,

Sirius

P.S. Sirius loves you!

P.P.S. NO HE DOES NOT! (That was James; ignore him...)

\- oOo -

~oO **Evans Villa, Spinner's End**

 **27th December, 1975**

Dear Izzy,

Just heard from Clay and Mary - they've reached home safely too. Christmas was splendid, thanks so much for having us over this year! Also, I know that you're still upset Alice did not show up. Please don't worry about it, Izzy, she will come through eventually, I promise (or I will MAKE her!).

Also, there's something I wanted to talk to you about... It's a strange feeling, I've never felt this way in my whole life. Izzy, I don't know why, but I feel oddly hollow inside at the fact that I didn't receive any gifts (not even a postcard) this year from James. Hold your horses now, this does not mean what you think it means. It's just strange that James actually kept his word this time... I can't say I don't miss his irritating presence just a tad bit. Anyway, I'm sure I'll get over it in no time, just wanted to get it off my chest. Would you give him my regards if you do write to Sirius sometime?

You take care of yourself and I hope you're studying hard in your spare time!

Lots of love,

Lily

\- oOo -

~oO **Williams' Cottage, Islington**

 **28th December, 1975**

Dear Lily,

Well, I just hope you two go back to being civil with each other in the least, 'cause that way, I won't have to plot a fallout scene to stop being friends with James! Let's talk more on the train ride back to Hogwarts!

Miss you tons already.

Love,

Izzy

\- oOo -

~oO **Williams' Cottage, Islington**

 **28th December, 1975**

You're such a work of art, Sirius. You've already made me regret ever confessing my feelings to you, and I have only me to blame! I've sentenced myself to a lifetime of teasing, haven't I?

And don't worry so much, alright? I know you're dying over there, but there's nothing much that we can do, you know, we're still too young to take matters into our own hands... So, 'hang in there' is the least I can say to alleviate your mood.

And don't get in too deep with this Rosie girl. Who knows, you might inadvertently 'make' her the other half of The Pair, and I'm not particularly confident you'll like that!

Izzy

P.S. Lily misses James.

P.P.S. THAT'S what I meant by telling each other everything...

\- oOo -

~oO **Hogwarts, Hogsmeade**

 **28th December, 1975**

Dear Isabella,

Firstly, it was extremely clever of you to have brought this incident to light as it has helped clear several doubts in my mind. I also wish to commend you on your keen sense of foresight of the imminent dangers that is fast approaching the Wizarding World from whatever you witnessed; very rarely can someone put two and two together and comprehend the corollary of a situation as you have done today. And although your letter dripped with anxiety, I must say that you have an unwonted sense of humour that never fails to tickle me; it was hilarious to say the very least.

Regarding the Stone, I think it's still very early for us to sound the alarm bells, as we have very little evidence in our hands to prove that you are, indeed, the Keeper. Besides, this little fact is incidentally entwined with how things take a turn in the future, so yes, I shall, if you ever have the misfortune of finding the Ministry at your door, 'bail you out' both from the Dementors _and_ your mother's clutches.

About Regulus, I'm afraid I might offer you little solace in the matter as I believe each of us is destined to play the role we were sent here for. However, it is not to say that he won't do great things to the Wizarding World; it just means it is not in your or my control what path he chooses and if he would ever find his way back. I realise this may sound extremely bleak to you, which is why I feel obliged to tell you that all hope is not lost yet; you might take consolation from the fact that he shall, from this moment on, always be under my watchful eye.

I am greatly intrigued to learn that the old witch pronounced Sirius to be one half of The Pair. So it seems my suspicions have been confirmed. Vigilance should become your priority from this second on, Isabella. You shall find the answers to your questions when the time is right, but if the witch's claims are true, I'm afraid my worst fear has been realised. Darkness really has descended upon all of us.

Fear not, for you shall be back in school in no time.

I am, yours most sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

\- oOo -

~oO **Williams' Cottage, Islington**

 **29th December, 1975**

Sirius,

I mean it. NO MONKEY BUSINESS while with the boys. Just heard back from Dumbledore and he does NOT sound positive. Darkness is upon us.

Love,

Izzy

\- ~:O:~ -

~oO **Glamorgan, South Wales**

 **31st December, 1975**

"I don't know why Williams even tries! I mean, I can't be caged, can I, Prongsy?"

"It's a sin, is what it is! You have _my_ blessing! Race into the night, Pads!" he screamed, even as Sirius shot into the night like a bullet.

"Merlin's Pants, I love Izzy!" yelled back Sirius, a permanent look of amazement slapped across his face. "This is the best gift eveeeer...!" he screamed into the night while taking a sharp turn around a corner, completely startling the policemen pursuing the speeding motorcycle.

"Whoa!" they heard the Sergeant bellow, followed by the screeching of brakes against the tar, indicating that they had expected the motorcycle to ram into their car, but Sirius made the turn most effortlessly and zoomed up the narrow side street at lightening speed.

"We've got 'em now!" he heard the second policeman yell, who had resorted to stick more than half his body out the window of his car. "That's a dead end!"

An arrogant smile cracked on his face as he slammed on his brakes and wheeled his motorcycle around with such swagger, James actually whistled in appreciation from behind him. "Best day of my life!" he declared, leaning eagerly over Sirius's shoulder to get a better look at the red, disbelieving faces of their pursuers.

The officers' car was screeching to a halt whilst scraping half the paint off the flank as it did. The two riders were trapped between a towering brick wall and the police car, which was now crashing towards them like some growling, luminous-eyed predator.

And for a whole minute nothing happened, as Sirius and James mockingly waited for the policemen to collect themselves after that really exciting chase.

Quite unfortunately, though, there was so little space between the car doors and the walls of the alley that the two policemen had difficulty extricating themselves from the vehicle. It injured their dignity to have to inch, crab-like, towards the miscreants. The first policeman dragged his generous belly along the wall, tearing buttons off his shirt as he went, and finally snapping off the wing mirror with his backside.

"Get off the bike!" he bellowed at the smirking youths, who sat basking in the flashing blue light as though enjoying it.

They did as they were told. Finally pulling free from the broken wind mirror, the first policeman glared at them. And just as Sirius got a better look at the man's face, a sudden realisation hit him, making him almost double up in laughter: the policeman with the name Fisher written across his badge, looked eerily similar to Rosie's father, who had walked in on their wild make-out session in her house a couple of days ago!

"No helmets!" Fisher yelled, pointing from one uncovered head to the other. "Exceeding the speed limit by - by a considerable amount!" (it was more than evident that the speed registered had been greater than Fisher was prepared to accept that any motorcycle could travel.) "Failing to stop for the police!"

"We'd have loved to stop for a chat," said James, ruffling up his already messy hair, "only we were trying —"

"Don't get smart - you two are in a heap of trouble!" snarled Anderson. "Names!"

"Names?" repeated Sirius, giving James a side sneer. "Er — well, let's see," he scoffed. "There's Wilberforce . . . Bathsheba . . . Elvendork . . ."

"And what's nice about that one is, you can use it for a boy or a girl," James added cheekily, making Sirius snigger even more.

"Oh, _our_ names, did you mean?" Sirius offered, feigning revelation even as Anderson spluttered with rage. "You should've said! This here is James Potter, and I'm Sirius Black!"

"Things'll be seriously black for you in a minute, you cheeky little —"

But neither James nor Sirius was paying attention. They were suddenly as alert as gundogs, staring past Fisher and Anderson, over the roof of the police car, at the dark mouth of the alley. Then, with identical fluid movements, they reached into their back pockets.

For the space of a heartbeat both policemen imagined guns gleaming at them, but a second later they saw that the motorcyclists had drawn nothing more than —

"Drumsticks?" jeered Anderson. "Right pair of jokers, aren't you?

Right, we're arresting you on a charge of —"

But Anderson never got to name the charge. James and Sirius had shouted " _Alarte Ascendare_!" and the beams from the headlights had moved.

The policemen wheeled around, then staggered backwards.

Three men were flying up the alley on broomsticks - and at the same moment, the police car was rearing up on its back wheels.

Fisher's knees bucked; he sat down hard; Anderson tripped over Fisher's legs and fell on top of him, as _flump — bang — crunch_ — they heard the men on brooms slam into the upended car and fall, apparently insensible, to the ground, while broken bits of broomstick clattered down around them.

The motorbike had roared into life again. His mouth hanging open, Fisher mustered the strength to look back at the two teenagers.

"Thanks very much!" called Sirius over the throb of the engine.

"We owe you one!"

"Yeah, nice meeting you!" said James. "And don't forget: Elvendork! It's unisex!"

There was an earth-shattering crash, and Fisher and Anderson threw their arms around each other in fright; their car had just fallen back to the ground. Now it was the motorcycle's turn to rear.

Before the policemen's disbelieving eyes, the motorcycle took off into the air: James and Sirius zoomed away into the night sky, their tail light twinkling behind them like a vanishing ruby.


	13. Under The Twilight Sun

**A/N: Chap features a song composed and written by a fellow bandmate more than 10 years ago.**

 **Song Name:** Fallin'  
 **Songwriter:** Harini Sudarshan | _Sapphyra_

 **Madhu:** Yeah! :D

 _Unedited..._

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Under The Twilight Sun**

* * *

The hum of the tyres sang through the night speeding back towards Lupin Lodge, even as an ominous hush brewed between Sirius and James. Because, even if they had laughed it off in the faces of the two policemen, both of them knew that this was not normal in any sense of the word; wizards didn't just crop out of nowhere and attacked a couple of fifteen-year-old's in the dead of the night for no reason... At least, Sirius didn't think the situation was this bad already.

 _Unless_...

He slammed on the breaks, making the vehicle screech to a halt in an empty alleyway, fully overcome with worry now. And, the fact James was still being unusually quiet was enough to let Sirius know that he knew something was up that he wasn't aware of.

Neither spoke for a long time, each lost in thoughts of their own.

James sighed at last.

"You know, if you don't want to talk about it..."

"What, _no_!" Sirius responded almost on an impulse. "It's nothing like that..."

"No, I'm just saying..." James insisted from over Sirius's shoulder, his face etched with concern. "It's alright if you need more time to open up about whatever this was about. But, just promise me that you won't get yourself into serious trouble..."

"Prongs..." Sirius sighed.

"NO, Pads, you listen to me _very_ carefully, right now," he said, finally swinging himself off the rear seat and rounding up on Sirius. Towering above him and determinedly ignoring the guilt that dripped off of Sirius's face, he said, "If you let anything happen to you..."

"I think you're overreacting just a little bit..."

" _Shut up_!" growled James, and grabbed hold of Sirius's collar, his face screaming bloody murder. "I've lost hold of Lily already, Pads and I am not too keen on losing my best friend too! And from what we saw today, those blokes looked ready to blast your head off, and don't get me wrong, I'd gladly knock every last one of them out cold for you, but that's only _if_ I'm there when they attack you again. You got _lucky_ today and you know it..." he said, finally letting go off Sirius's leather jacket.

Sirius, who had avoided James's eyes for the longest time, slumped even more in his seat, staring absent-mindedly at the road while his mind raced with thoughts. Admittedly, James was right, today _had_ been a close call; Sirius could've been outnumbered three-to-one. And to top it all, his attackers weren't exactly underage, lackadaisical _teenagers_ like himself; they were grown wizards with the license to use ANY kind of magic...

Finally looking at James straight in the eye he said, "I think we got attacked today because word about a possible 'curse' that I may be carrying must've got out, all thanks to Regulus..."

A gaping silence followed that statement. "Word of your _what_?" asked James, scrunching his eyebrows in confusion. "And what's this about Regulus?"

"Long story," Sirius sighed, gesturing at James to get back on the bike. "Need a full-house for this one," he added, grinning sheepishly. "I just hope Remus doesn't get into one of his darned lecture sessions after listening to this story!"

"I can't believe you're laughing something like this off..."

"And THIS was exactly why I didn't want to tell you or the lads about it just yet. Right bunch of pansies, aren't you!" Sirius replied, grinning even more.

James rolled his eyes. "Izzy is right, you _are_ a work of art!" he chided even as he flung himself back on the backseat.

"As if! We'll let Peter decide who of the two of us is a bigger headache!" Sirius laughed, revving up the beast once more.

"Right! If _Peter's_ the one deciding, we already know who the winner is!" James scoffed, lightening up finally. "It's no secret he worships _me_ most of all!"

Sirius rolled his eyes and zoomed past blurry houses with a smirk on his face. "Now you know why I love Remus more!"

\- oo -

A few days after New Year, Isabella was back at King's Cross station, reveling in the sound of the Hogwarts Express, hissing and billowing its black smoke, ready to haul students back to reality. Only Mrs. Williams was there to say goodbye as Mr. Williams was at work and Angela was back in her own school.

"Alright then, no more fighting, you hear me, darling?" asked Mrs. Williams, only to invite more rolling-of-the-eyes from Isabella, even as she stepped into the train and slammed the door shut behind her. "And make sure you write to me every week _at least_!" she said through the window, her voice trembling a little with emotion, just as the train jerked forwards. Admittedly, Mrs. Williams had been dissolving into tears more than usual at the mere thought of how quiet the house was going to get again with Isabella gone.

"I will, Mother," Isabella replied, gulping down the growing lump in her own throat. "And even if I forget, you know that Lucius would knock me on the head and steer me back to the Owlery, don't you?" she called out, smiling fondly at the wet, red face of her mother. The train was slowly starting to pull out of the station, gaining speed with every passing second.

"Bye, darling!" were the last words she heard as the train trudged out of the station and into the glorious morning. Ignoring the prickling in her eyes, she turned around to see where the others had got to and started to wade through a sea of excited students chatting away in the corridor. She hadn't dragged her trunk for more than a minute, when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Can I begin by saying just how much I missed you?" spoke a familiar voice from behind, making her heart leap into her mouth in horror!

"Ryan!" she said almost breathlessly and turned around to find his handsome face smiling down at her; she'd been away from school and in the presence of Sirius and the girls for so long that she almost forgot she was actually _seeing_ someone at school! "Why, there you are! I... You... Er..."

"You're speechless. I get it. Don't worry, I tend to have that kind of effect on people," he guffawed in mock-pride, making her laugh faintly. She rubbed her face desperately to shake off the odd trance that had suddenly descended upon her and tried to put on a more genuine smile this time.

"What's the matter, why do you seem so rattled?" he laughed, no doubt under the impression that his good looks had knocked the wind out of her.

"Oh! I..." she spluttered, "It's nothing, I... You just gave me such a fright is all!"

Ryan chuckled into his hand. "Merlin, I missed you..." he muttered, and before she could even realise what was happening, he had thrown his hands around her, pulling her into a tight hug!

Alarmed beyond belief and hyperventilating for Merlin knows why, she desperately tried to reason with herself.

 _This is Ryan. You like Ryan! He's nice. Really nice! He asked you out and you said YES, remember? This is as good as it can GET, Izzy! Pull your socks up and get it together now!_ she thought to herself and reluctantly returned the hug, but the tight knot that was forming in her stomach was what scared her the most. _Was this even normal?_ she thought again, as anxiety pulsed through her.

Only when he finally let her go did she realise she had held her breath for so long. _This is such a nightmare._

"Alright, have you lot found seats yet?" he asked, graciously taking her trunk in his hand.

"Um, I... I'm not sure, actually!" she squeaked, fanning the sweat off her brow. "Haven't seen any of them as yet, to be honest."

"Ah, well, not to worry, most of you fifth-years are in our compartment, anyway. Besides, I'd rather you sit with _me_ for a while before I lose you to the girls all over again," he laughed, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulder and leading his girlfriend through hordes of students; sadly, this only made her want to run as far away from him as possible!

Wiping her face for the hundredth time despite the biting cold that prevailed around her, she followed Ryan until they neared a particularly loud compartment. A wave of relief washed over her when she heard James's loud snickering and the sound of several hands high-fiving each other.

"Hello, hello!" Ryan called out and pushed into the already overflowing compartment of mostly only boys, with Isabella's trunk held high above his head to avoid knocking people's knees with it.

"Ah! Evantrap with his bird again! Finally!" called out Daniel Willets from near the window, making the whole compartment crack up once more. "I'll tell you lads, we've got a real crackpot among us—"

"—Dan, shut up for the love of—!"

"Nice! Ryan-bashing all over again! I like it!" Thomas called out happily, while the rest of the seventh-years sniggered in his wake.

"—Ryan, here," Daniel began and waited for the noise to settle down once again so that he may be heard more clearly, "is _such_ an ardent lover, it's almost _unreal_!"

"Pray, tell, Danny boy!" Sirius cheekily called out from next to him, making the other boys roar with enthusiasm once again.

"Ah, bloody hell, here we go _again_!" Ryan said resigedly, cursing under his breath and pulling Isabella on to his lap, making several eyebrows shoot up in appreciation (Isabella, on the other hand, was hyperventilating to such an extent, she was positive she was having a brain hemorrhage).

"So, Ryan here, would've written to me _at least_ seven times over the holidays. Now, given that he's my best mate and all—"

"You're the worst best friend on the planet, Dan," said Clarissa with pure disgust.

"—I'd still appreciate it had it been letters that concerned _me_ , but nooo!" Daniel continued as if he hadn't heard Clarissa at all. "He wrote to me _seven_ times merely to wonder why he hadn't got a Christmas present from his lady love as yet!" he exclaimed, making the whole compartment explode into laughter mixed with fake shock over this new piece of information. Several boys feigned deep hurt and howled like a bunch of maniacs. Isabella was as good as dead at this point.

"Wha—You didn't get Ryan a _present_?" Oliver Wharton exclaimed, sounding just as ridiculous as the rest of them were. "That can't be right!"

"Well, I... It's... I don't..." she stuttered, not finding even a remotely good-enough answer to justify her actions.

"You bet it's not right!" Sirius chimed in, his face flushed red in excitement. "Because, believe it or not, she got me a muggle _motorbike_! D'you know how expensive that is?" he exclaimed and a collective gasp went up and Ryan's eyes flew open. Isabella was almost asthmatic now, because, even in her current state of mind, she knew that that gasp was actual shock rather than mindless teasing. The compartment was slowly sinking into awkwardness, with Ryan watching Isabella over her shoulder with a pained expression on his face while the Marauders continued on being completely oblivious to the mood in the room.

"Oh, and didn't she write to you at least ten times in _three days_?!" Peter added, making it worse than ever.

Isabella could feel all the colour in her face drain away as she received a few more accusatory looks from the audience. "Well, that's... A gross exaggeration, Pete," Remus offered weakly.

The compartment had gone fully quiet now, gurgling with awkwardness.

"Isabella?" said Ryan, his eyes flashing with utter disbelief.

Her heart fell. This was probably the worst she'd ever felt in her entire life.

"Well, I..." she began, and caught Remus's eyes. The calming smile he held in his face, made her relax instantly. Thinking on her feet she said, "Ryan, I _do_ have something for you, except," she paused even as Remus nodded encouragingly. "Except it can't be er... 'Given' per say," she said, improvising on the go.

"How d'you mean?" Ryan asked, his eyes widening instantly in expectation (from the side she saw Sirius's eyebrows shoot up in wild curiosity too).

"Er... Well, I... I hope this doesn't embarrass you... I mean, it may have been presumptuous of me to have even... Wh-It's a song! Basically. That I wrote myself... That I want to sing it to you..." she said, kicking herself for lying to his face this way. "I couldn't possibly owl that, could I?" she said, smiling weakly while several low whistles went up in the air.

"Show me," said Ryan, wildly taken aback, while wrenching a muggle guitar out of an unsuspecting Robert's hand and handing it to her.

"Yeah, show us," said Sirius, crossing his hands across his chest, still eyeing her curiously. "Haven't heard you sing in the longest time."

"Bet you missed it leaps," James cheekily added in a low voice so that only Isabella and Sirius could hear it.

"Shut it, Prongs."

Trembling a little with nervousness, she delicately placed the guitar on her lap. "You sure about this? Are we actually doing this in front these trolls?" she asked, grinning nervously.

"Never been surer of anything else till this second," he said, with as much sincerity as he could muster. "And anyone who finds it too corny for their liking is welcome to leave," he said, triggering a volley of wolf whistles.

"Evantrap, you beast!" howled Puck while Julius Freckle, another sixth-year student decided to throw in a, "Potter's right, you really are _whipped_!" But none of this mattered to Ryan, who was patiently waiting for Isabella to give him his 'present' while the compartment steadily got rowdy as the anticipation built up.

Avoiding the piercing looks she was receiving from Sirius who sat across from her, Isabella closed her eyes to calm her nerves before strumming the instrument once. The compartment fell quiet instantly, mostly because the boys knew they were about to get unbearably embarrassed by whatever was to follow, but she didn't care; she owed it to Ryan.

Strumming the chords on the strings, she started humming the tune of the song she had written three years ago as a lonesome thirteen-year-old girl. Of all the songs she'd ever written, this one was her most favorite. A flood of emotions ran through her as memories of long ago breezed through her mind.

" _When I look at your face,  
Under the twilight sun,  
_ _W_ _hen I hear your voice,  
Before the day has begun...  
When I–I find you suddenly smiling at me..._

 _My heart just skips a beat._

 _When you hold my face,  
In your warm hands,  
When your skin glitters,  
In the sun-kissed sands,  
When like a child you smile down at me..._

 _I go weak in the knees..._

 _'Cause you got me -_

 _Fallin' like I've never been in love before...  
Fallin' for the last few years or so...  
Fallin' you've got to know that it is true...  
Fallin' ever since I... Set my eyes... On you..._"

She hummed the tune all over again, pacing her strumming perfectly, completely transported back in time, almost like she was floating away in nothingness. With a final stroke, she concluded the song and was pleasantly surprised to see several nods of appreciation and a light applause as well coming from the older boys.

"Wow," said Martin, looking amused, "that was... quite nice!"

"' _Quite nice_ '?" Clarissa challenged immediately, "that was _beautiful_!" she exclaimed almost close to tears, and several murmurs of agreement erupted all around her.

"The Star Chaser who plays hard ball by day and a devoted girlfriend at night! Not bad, Williams!" chuckled Thomas, smacking her back boyishly.

Ryan, though, seemed to have drowned entirely into oblivion, heart-eyeing Isabella from the side. She felt her stomach squirm uneasily, only it had nothing to do with Ryan _at all_ : Sirius's eyes had been clawed on to her for the longest time and if anything, she thought he looked more feral now than ever...

"Yeah, I'm definitely in love too," Ryan muttered and crashed his lips to the side of her face just got as a volley of protests exploded around them. Several boys actually jumped to their feet and made a dash for the door and Isabella looked on, chuckling nervously. But, no matter what she did or how hard she tried, she could not deny the unwavering, silent gaze of Sirius and when their eyes finally met, her insides melted all over again. She knew what he was thinking, she heard him loud and clear, could read the questions he was throwing at her as if he was holding a microphone to his mouth; questions she didn't have the answers to at all...

\- oOo -

"You know, Izzy, I must admit. I LOVE YOUR LIFE!" Claiborne exclaimed as they stepped out of the compartment and into the chilly night.

"I know. The three of us _put together_ don't have as much drama going on as you do!" Mary chimed in, wrapping her neck with a _third_ woolen scarf and starting to look like a mummy now.

"Yeah, yet, ironically, I'd do anything to trade lives with one of you," Isabella said dryly, bracing herself from the bone-chilling cold and waiting in line to board the carriages that were waiting outside the station. She had spent the more half the train ride back to Hogwarts narrating the day's incident and was now genuinely tired of her own voice.

"So, just to clarify..."

"Lily. If you ask me whether Sirius looked ' _merely curious_ ' or ' _downright annoyed_ ' one more time, I will personally feed you to the fabled one-eyed witch behind the castle!"

"I'm only checking!" Lily replied, petulantly pouting at Isabella. "Aw, but I feel horrible for you..." she said, eyeing her like Isabella was a lost puppy in the woods. "Now Ryan thinks you're in love with him—"

"—I may be for all you know!"

"But you aren't! And _that_ was exactly what I warned you about before you said yes to him!" Claiborne concluded triumphantly and floated into an empty carriage like a princess.

"Yes, thanks a lot, Clay! That helps a lot..." Isabella replied gloomily. "After you, Alice," she added stiffly. She had been over-the-top courteous with Alice for the most part of the train ride primarily in the hopes that Alice would finally take pity on her and decide to become her friend again. _Pathetic, I know!_

"Why, thank you, Izzy," Alice said and smiled, making Isabella whip her head around in surprise. She was actually being civil with her! Finally! "Oh, and... I need to tell you something," she continued while taking her seat next to Claiborne. "I felt horrible for not coming home for Christmas, and I want to make it up to you. So, as a peace offering, I wish to make _you_ my very first confidante! What do you think?" she asked, smiling fondly at a dumbstruck Isabella while the rest of them gaped at her in shock and fury.

"No way! I want in too!" Lily protested. " _Girls_?" she exclaimed, inviting them to join the riot too; sadly, the others didn't seem to share her enthusiasm.

"Er... Honestly, I couldn't care less. Pretty sure I already know what this is about anyway, so the rest of you can battle it out," Mary laughed and got into the carriage herself.

"And I'm just happy you two are talking again, so I don't care either!" Claiborne said almost teary-eyed. "Ah! The balance has finally been restored again!" she exclaimed dramatically, further weakening Lily's case.

She jerked her head towards Isabella. "Have I told you I hate you?" Lily said, narrowing her eyes to mere slits.

Isabella laughed. "Only too many times!"

...

Isabella was about ready to eat her own feet by the time they pulled into the driveway of their school.

"Oh, I hope the elves have been kind on us today!" she exclaimed and jumped out of the horseless carriage.

Mary groaned right behind her. "Would you lot judge me too much if I crawled my way into the Great Hall?" she asked, making the girls roar with laughter at her smug expression. Nodding sarcastically at her dense friends, she said, "Thank you, I got my answer."

"Forget food, I can't wait to go to the library!" Lily said, and dashed into the Entrance Hall after Alice.

From the corner of her eye, Isabella noticed the Marauders' carriage pull up behind them and a sudden dread descended upon her. She needed to be as far away from the morons as possible, she just _had_ to. Feeling a bit woozy with the sudden anxiety, she mindlessly hurtled into the castle. And if she timed it right, she could be done with dinner and up in the dorms without ever running into them!

Dodging incoming traffic of students, she trudged her way into the Great Hall and flopped down next to Alice at the Gryffindor table. Ignoring the rumbling in her stomach, she waited most impatiently for the teachers to trickle in, for Dumbledore to give his darned speech and for the food to appear on her plate already!

Shaking her leg to calm her nerves, she hardly dared to look up as Lily and Mary and Claiborne and the rest of her House slowly trickled in and took their seats around her.

"What's the matt—?"

"Nothing!" she snapped at Claiborne and hid her face in her hands. _Merlin, help me!_ she thought to herself desperately and pulled her head back just in time to notice a tall figure appearing behind her. She froze in place, dissolving entirely in fear.

"Oh, hell," she said to herself as Claiborne and Alice looked enquiringly between Sirius and Isabella.

Sirius didn't say anything and continued to simply stand there with his hands on his waist, as if that was enough to convey his intentions. Isabella on the other hand was literally shaking in fear.

"Sirius..."

"No," he said flatly.

Isabella smacked her own head in frustration. "Sirius, please. I'm famished and _tired_..."

"And I don't care."

"Why are you being so difficult—?" she asked frustratedly and turned around to find him staring down at her completely expressionless but managing to convey more emotions than ever.

"You and I both know why."

"I don't want to talk!" she declared stubbornly and turned her back on him only to be hoisted back to her feet most effortlessly by the arm. " _Bavarian Erkling_!" she swore, but he didn't seem to care and dragged her up the hall, his hand firmly gripping her forearm, much to everyone's bewilderment. They marched past several students who were shuffling into their seats at their table and Isabella was most glad the sixth-years hadn't arrived yet. _One ruddy problem at a time, please!_

"Sirius, I think you're being supremely ridiculous!" she stated as they crossed the teachers' table (the entire hall had turned their attention on the pair now as he relentlessly kept walking. "And we're drawing attention to ourselves!" she hissed crossly in his ear to no avail; he dragged her on with more zeal than ever, and as they neared the Slytherin table, her eyes fell on Lucius who was eyeing them too with gut-wrenching concern for her. She merely shook her head to tell him it was nothing just as they exited the hall.

Leading her into the Entrance Hall and out through the double doors, they stepped into the chilly night once more. Several stray students who had arrived in the last few carriages were hurrying into the castle now as they halted on the steps, basking in the cool light emanating from within.

"Alright, what do you want?" she muttered, watching a bunch of third-year Ravenclaw girls hover behind Sirius, trying to get a better look at his handsome face.

" _You_ tell me. What _was_ that about?" he asked, hardly caring for the girls behind him.

Isabella huffed angrily. "It was JUST a song! A stupid, girly _song_ —!" she said through gritted teeth.

"SHUT UP! _What the hell are you doing with_ Ryan?!" he whispered as if he hadn't heard her at all, staring incredulously down at her.

Isabella paused, mad with anger now. "What the _bloody hell's_ that supposed to mean?"

"You know _quite_ well what that means!" he said, hissing angrily back at her. The giggling girls were now reluctantly heading back inside, much to Isabella's relief.

"Listen. I cannot be responsible for your mindless assumptions! And for the last time, it didn't mean _anyth_ —!" She didn't finish her sentence because she knew Sirius wasn't listening to her at all. He simply stood there staring speechlessly at her, consumed with disbelief; with questions that she was NOT ready to face...

"Is it true?" he finally spoke. "D'you really feel ALL that for me...? Izzy?" he mumbled, making her heart stop beating entirely. He was staring down blankly at her, almost not breathing at all and Isabella had gone ridiculously red in the face. "It's not just a fleeting thing that I thought it was...?"

A shiver ran up her spine. "I don't know what you're talking about!" she breathed more to herself and hurriedly turned around to dash back inside.

"Don't do this to yourself, Izzy," he spoke behind her, making her stop dead in her tracks. She closed her eyes to calm her nerves, but it wasn't working... Nothing was working in her favour. "Don't lie to yourself. You _owe_ it to yourself..."

"Good Godric! _It wasn't about you_ , Sirius! _Everything_ isn't about YOU!" she yelled, still having her back to him.

"Why didn't you tell me before...?" he insisted, refusing to acknowledge her protests. "HOW could you keep something like this from me for _so long_?" he muttered just as she turned back around, exasperation threatening to blow her head off. "I had a right to know, you know."

She finally gave up. She finally gave in. She couldn't keep up this charade any longer; They both knew what was really going on, and she knew no amount of lying or hiding the truth from him was going to make him believe otherwise. Sirius was right. About everything. And there was no point denying it.

She narrowed her eyes at him, finally feeling brave enough to face him.

"Like hell you did," she said, finally getting on the same page with him.

Nobody said anything for a long time.

"What are you doing with Ryan?" he finally asked again, seemingly exasperated.

Isabella was shaking from head to toe when she spoke again. "What do you think?"


	14. The Seventh Knight

**A/N:** I am terribly sorry for the delay, but a mini vacation, work and Life happened in the last month that kept me busy. Thank you all for your patience, though. :)

 _Unedited..._

* * *

 **Chapter 14: The Seventh Knight**

* * *

Snow was still swirling outside the icy windows, with the mist pressing against the glass the next day morning.

Overnight, a large signboard had gone up on the Gryffindor noticeboard, bearing important seals of the Ministry and the Auror Force, managing to instantly get everyone's attention. A shocked buzz prevailed around the room.

-~oOo~-

 **Darkness Is Coming.**

 _The future of Magic is threatened, and the Ministry requires every available and eligible witch or wizard in this imminent Battle of the Light and Dark._

 _All students, fifteen years and older, will be put under the "Magical Conscription Programme" for an indefinite amount of time, wherein, each will be trained, tested and examined under the guidelines and well laid-out academic plan designed by the Ministry. If selected, students, without the exception of gender, will be expected to join the Magical Auror Programme at once._

 _From this academic year, students fifth year and above will be subject to tailored practical and written Auror Programme Entrance examinations_ _(A.P.E.)_ _before they officially get posted on the ranks. For more information, please contact Head of House, Miss Minerva McGonagall._

WARNING:

 _Enlistment into the Magical Auror Force is NOT an option. Anyone trying to draft dodge or deny the enlistment will face harsh penalties and may even risk immediate imprisonment._

-~oOo~-

A horrible sense of dread descended upon Isabella as she read and reread the notice board. "What the bloody hell," she heard herself say out loud.

"Why, that's just great, innit?" Edgar declared bitterly from behind her. A low murmur broke out across the room, breaking the shocked silence that had prevailed in the Common Room up until that moment.

"It's come to _this_ already?!" Robert Mathews said more to himself.

"Honestly! Surely, the situation with this Dark Wizard _can't_ be as bad as the Ministry is trying to make it sound like, can it?" Eudora Bearfist, a sixth-year student, nervously wondered out aloud.

Had Sirius been in the room right now, Isabella was sure he would've snorted loudly at that comment and given her the privilege of getting nudged to the side.

"Whatever the case may be, our mothers are _never_ going to agree to this!"

"How did _Dumbledore_ agree to something like this?"

"I know! Is this even allowed?"

"Blasphemy!"

" _Is it_ though?" Xenophilius Lovegood, blurted out unexpectedly, making everyone's head turn in his direction. The scrawny young blond was sitting beside the fire and watching the group of older students as if the lot were a bunch of imbeciles. Isabella and Lily exchanged looks; it never ended well every time Xeno had an opinion on something... "Wh-Don't you all see what's going on here?" he said and gasped in shock at the bewildered expressions on the students' faces. "It's _obvious_ , isn't it? The Minister has been poisoned!" A loud murmur of incredulity broke out all around him as he continued. "Everyone knows that the _Rotfangs_ run the Ministry, not Bagnold! And this 'conscription programme' is merely a diversion from something bigger... They're hiding something from us all," he said and crossed his hands so confidently across his chest, Isabella was almost sold on his theory. For the first time ever, it seemed like this could be true _not_ because it made perfect sense, but because of the baffling tone of it.

Edgar cleared his throat. "Er... What was the Minister poisoned with again?" he asked.

"Ah! Very good question," said Xeno, nodding his head most appreciatively. Without batting an eyelid he said it in one breath, "Turned Bubble Juice."

For a whole second, everyone just froze.

And then the whole room EXPLODED with laughter.

" _What_?!" yelled Robert.

"What? She HAS consumed turned Bubble Juice, _served by the Rotfangs_. _It's a classic example_!" he stressed, shrugging arrogantly at the laughing faces. "Everyone knows it causes borborygmus and a mild brain bleed that could hamper _rational thinking_ , don't you...? And going by the absurdity of this notice, there couldn't be any other explanation to this!" he concluded, having to speak loudly to drown out the cacophony that prevailed in the Common Room right now.

In all honesty, Isabella almost kicked herself for thinking Xeno might've been on to something serious here as she pressed her lips together to not join the others in laughter herself.

Xeno looked around at all the laughing faces and grimaced. "Can't say that you weren't warned beforehand!" he spat out, still looking unperturbed. "Ya'll will be sorry one day!" he called out as more laughter ensued around him.

"Never a dull moment in this House, is there?" Edgar guffawed, hardly able to get the words out of his mouth.

"On a serious note though, I still can't believe they're opting tyranny to fight off this oaf of a Dark Lord!" said Thomas darkly, instantly triggering a volley of cacophonous grunts.

"Honestly, this ought to be the most absurd move I've seen the Ministry make in a really long time," said Puck Oleus.

"Oh, come on. What are you lot complaining about? Thought you'd always fancied becoming an Auror?" Calum Harper said while swinging his bag over his shoulder. "Imagine the likes of us... I always wanted to be a _Healer_! Talk about dreams down the gutter."

"You _can_ be a Healer on the Auror Force too, you know," came Lily's logical voice. Straightening her tie and looking proper as ever, she added, "They'd definitely want dedicated Healers and Potion Masters and Runic Scribes and Charms Masters and scores of other professionals on the Auror Force if a war breaks out, so there you go."

"And what if I _don't_ want to fight in the war?" Calum called out even as other students anxiously agreed with him in the background. "Bones is right, this is fascist to another level!"

"Tell me about it..." mumbled Peter, who had just taken a look at the signboard too.

"Well, let's hope it won't get to that now, shall we?" Clayton Wicker, a fellow seventh-year student, replied cheerfully.

Calum simply graced him with a ' _Yeah, right!_ ' look before the two of them broke down sniggering at the sheer absurdity of that thought.

Alice rolled her eyes at the morbid reaction this notice was as garnering. " _That's_ what happens when you put _pigs_ in a lion's den," she whispered to her friends with a snort and tumbled out of the hole as the girls roared in laughter behind her.

"I heard that, Parker!" Peter cheekily called out from the back, following the girls down the corridor.

"I only speak the truth!" she called back, still giggling at her own joke.

"Say, where's your lot?" Claiborne asked Peter off-handedly as he struggled with the zipper on his backpack.

Peter though, instead of responding, suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, as if her words had questioned his very _existence_. Cocking a sly eyebrow at her, he asked, "Er... Exactly _whose_ whereabouts do you seek? Milady?" smirking curiously at her.

An angry huff resounded from Isabella's left. "Why, ALL of them, obviously!" Claiborne squeaked, sounding unusually defensive. "Your friends—two morons and one dweeb!" she stressed, a little out of breath now. Isabella and Lily exchanged glances. "The four of you are together _all the time_ , so I was just... Curious to see a stray Marauder, is all!" Claiborne concluded, recovering and finally sounding her high and mighty self.

Peter snickered mischievously. Forming an expression that suggested mock understanding, he said, "Of course! Not saying I did _not_ enjoy watching you splutter helplessly, though," he added quickly, still giving her a look that confused the rest of them quite a bit. "Anyway, to answer your question, the ' _dweeb_ ' headed out on early prefect duties and Frank is already downstairs having breakfast with his fellow Claw cronies. As for James and Sirius, well, they got summoned to the Headmaster's office early this morning..."

"They _what_?" Isabella shot out at once, fully alert now. "What for?" she demanded, flabbergasted.

Peter froze in place yet again and looked like he'd been caught between a rattlesnake and a very smelly skunk now. "Er... Ah... Well... You know...?" he started before finally settling for, "I shouldn't!"

"Oh, come on, Peter! Like those two are ever remotely capable of keeping aspects of their lives a secret!" Isabella said, dying almost in curiosity now.

"I dunno, Izzy... I've a feeling I'd get kicked in the rear if I told you why…!"

"Better than getting _hexed_ in your face?" she growled, playfully brandishing her wand out.

"Oi!" Lily yelled, all prefect-like in a nanosecond.

Peter chuckled heartily as Isabella grudgingly put her wand back in her pocket.

"Just know that, this time…" he wheezed, "well, _this time_ was a new low even for them. Personally, even _I_ haven't seen them mess up this much ever. And that's all I'm going to say on the matter!" he concluded stubbornly.

Lily rolled her eyes from Isabella's right. "Nice. Typical!" she said, waving a thin, accusatory finger at Isabella as if condemning _her_ for saying something extremely discourteous. "We've spent less than _twelve hours_ in the castle and the two of them are in trouble already? I should've known. Should've known that they were going to make my prefect days a living hell! And here I was thinking I'd been _harsh_ on Potter...!"

"Er... Sirius messed up too, you know?" said Claiborne, raising a teasing eyebrow at Lily's boiling hot face.

Lily gaped disbelieving at her. "DON'T make me give you detention!" she barked and stormed away from them, no doubt to hide the blush that had crept up her face.

…

The Great Hall, Isabella noticed, was less than cheerful this morning, no doubt as an upshot to the early morning announcement they'd all received. All except, the Gryffindor table, of course; it was the loudest as was customary with the usual bunch of boys wreaking havoc as if the Ministry had finally sanctioned the long-disputed _Nude Witch Beach Policy_. She wondered why the _girls_ from her House lacked this kind of unity as she watched the lads huddled about the table, chomping down their breakfast—Sirius and James were still missing from the pack.

"Double Trans, DADA, Potions and _double_ Charms all on one _day_?" Mary groaned with her mouth still half-full. "McGonagall was NOT kidding, fifth-year is turning out to be such a nightmare!"

Ryan laughed from next to Isabella. "Sadly, I think it's going to be a LOT tougher for you lot this year 'cause of the A.P.E.s," he said, thickly buttering his toast. Isabella bit her lip and avoided Mary's eyes from across her; she knew Ryan was desperate to socialise with her friends now that he and she were officially breaking the block to becoming The Couple of the Century.

"Say, Evantrap, did you also learn how to conjure a Shield Charm _non-verbally_ in the fifth?" Lily asked, anxiously going down the curriculum dished out by McGonagall a while ago.

He cracked a handsome smile. "Unfortunately, no, we learned that just this year before Christmas break."

Lily gasped. "We're doomed."

"If _you're_ doomed, I don't know what you'd call the rest of us," Alice said pointing at herself.

"So, who of the lot would be joining me today in Trans?" asked Isabella, sipping pumpkin juice out of the jar when suddenly, a tiny first-year scampered up to her. Holding a piece of parchment under her nose, she spoke in a very nervous, high-pitched voice, "A note from the Headmaster! Emily Dawnsmith gave it to Amanda Mist who asked the Slytherin boy, Lucius Malfoy, to get it delivered to you, who, in turn, gave it to Frank Longbottom who asked Aldrich Spells to give it to me to give it to you!"

Isabella raised an eyebrow, impressed that the little girl had managed all that in a single breath.

"Why, thank you, Martha," said Isabella and gave her a kind smile.

Giving her friends a tense shrug, she quickly grabbed the note and opened it. "He wants me in his office at once," she announced. Lily and Claiborne's eyebrows shot up. "I should go," she said, springing up to her feet, fully avoiding their piercing gazes; she hated not telling her best friends about the mess she's in, but _could_ she risk getting an earful from Sirius for being a big-mouth? No, she thought not.

"Is everything alright?" Ryan asked, looking worried.

"Yes, yes, nothing to worry!" she sang, forcing a calm smile on her face before darting out of the hall.

She ran past a horde of students and hurried towards Dumbledore's office, quite unsure why he would want to talk to her when he wasn't even finished with the other two blockheads. Were they getting expelled? Is that why she was being called? So that she may inform Mrs. Black of her son's complete failure as a person of sound mind?

"Mint Humbug!" she panted out the password and the Griffin gargoyle jerked awake instantly. Stepping on to the foot of the stair, she wound upwards.

"Enter," said a voice when she had knocked on the door. Puffing out a lungful of air and fanning her red face, she gingerly pushed the door open to find her Headmaster seated serenely in his high-backed chair with James and Sirius hunched in their seats across from him. Sirius gave her a weak (albeit swag-ish) wave of acknowledgement before going back to staring at his shoes.

"Thank you for joining us, Isabella," Dumbledore smiled and gestured at her to take a seat next to James.

She mutely scampered across the room and settled next to him. "What's happened, Professor? Why do they look like that?" she asked, referring to the long expressions on Sirius and James's face.

Dumbledore merely chuckled a bit. "Oh, that may be because I've just placed an indefinite ban on them from visiting Hogsmeade, going forward."

He said it as if he and the boys had planned to go skinny-dipping in the Thames, this summer… Stunned beyond words, she turned around to catch James's eye, as if that would give her all the explanation she was seeking.

"But... Er... Why...? Exactly? Professor?" she spluttered.

"Oh, a number of things. Underage Magic, riding a motorcycle in the Muggle streets without license, exceeding the speed limit by three-folds the normal Muggle standards, using a Muggle _police car_ to launch an attack on a bunch of wizards..." Dumbledore went on, counting through his fingers. Isabella's eyes had steadily widened with every syllable. In all honesty, she was surprised the Ministry was okay with them merely getting slapped with a _Hogsmeade ban._ "Anyway, we are not here to discuss Mr. Black and Mr. Potter's current predicament, we are here to discuss more serious matters; matters that all three of you have gotten embroiled in lately.

"I'd wish to start with the old witch that you'd written to me about, Isabella," he said, his demeanour shifting immediately. "I first want to know if there have been any other encounters with her since?"

"No, none since that day, Professor. It's quite strange actually. I've never met her before, but she seemed to know exactly who I was. _And Sirius_! She knew where I lived, who Regulus was, everything… D'you know who she might be?"

Dumbledore looked pensive for a moment, as if making a mental calculation of something. "Well, I have a theory on who this old witch _might_ be…" he began, still deep in thought. "Except, it's _highly unlikely_ ," he concluded almost immediately. "You see, the person who fits the description should be several thousand years old, _at least._ Not to mention she was merely a myth until a few days ago when I received your letter, Isabella. And there's no way that's possible unless…"

"Unless the stone she was referring to is an elixir that keeps one alive?" Sirius offered. "Perhaps she uses the stone in some capacity?"

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling with amazement. "You truly are the brightest wizard of your age, aren't you?" he smiled, making Sirius turn a slight shade of pink in the face. Pressing his fingers together, Dumbledore paused for a moment, as if taking the time to choose his words.

"Thousands of wizards for thousands of years have searched for such a stone and failed. The thought that the answer to immortality was a ruddy rock that would fit in one's palm drove men crazy. Rarely does one understand that the greatest gift we've been bestowed with is the _present_ …" he said, his voice trailing off. "What I'm trying to say is, yes, Sirius, that could be the only possible explanation for the existence of this witch…"

"…But, since there's no physical evidence of the existence of such a stone, it deems your theory about the witch in question untenable?" James offered eagerly, almost hoping Dumbledore would call him 'bright' too.

"Precisely," Dumbledore said and merely smiled. " _However_ , IF there was even a sliver of chance that this isn't a myth after all and IF the old witch is indeed the same person I have in mind, then I'm afraid, we may be in a bit of a pickle. You see, being the Keeper of the Stone is no ordinary title that gets passed around loosely, Isabella," he said, turning towards her this time. "To put it simply, it makes you very, _very_ important in this time and age. And with a Dark Lord on the rise, you ought to know what that means…" he said, nodding gravely at her.

"I understand. No monkey business," Isabella said, nodding earnestly.

"Exactly," Dumbledore replied.

"One question, though, Professor," James said, seemingly deep in thought. "How can the witch call Izzy the Keeper of the Stone when she does _not_ even have it in her possession?"

"Excellent question, James. Per my assumptions, Isabella here might be the rightful heir of the stone, an heirloom that must have been passed down the centuries. However, I believe something must have happened several generations ago that must have interfered with the rightful passage of the stone…"

"Are you saying it must have got lost at some point in time?" asked Sirius.

"I believe so, yes. And perhaps the old witch must have found it and waited patiently to return it to the rightful heir once more."

"But she told Regulus that _she_ didn't have the stone with her either!" said Isabella.

"So, we must find out _why_ ," Dumbledore replied matter-of-factly.

"Merlin's beard!" an irritated voice suddenly spoke from Dumbledore's side, making them all jump. "We've had quite enough talk about the stone for the morning! Would it kill you to talk about what you're ACTUALLY gathered here for, Albus?" Phineas Nigellus rasped through his teeth. "IS the boy One Half of The Pair?"

Dumbledore sighed in exasperation. "Patience, my friend."

"No! I've been telling you for years now, Albus, _years_! That the time for the birth of the Seventh Knight was fast approaching! The Curse on the pair is NOT a myth! And he HAS to be a Black! _My_ very own uncle, Sir Ixius Daeron Argus Evopius Black was the cursed _Sixth_ _Knight_!" he huffed, flaring up his handle-bar moustache. "I am aware, though, that this lad here is hardly a passable archetype of the Black magnificence, but he _is_ a Black all the same, and you know how ancient our House is! We're the one of the last entirely untarnished bloodlines to ever exist in this realm, so I demand to know if I am right! _Is this boy_...!"

"Good _MERLIN_ , YES, I _am_ one half of the bloody pair! " Sirius bellowed, almost bolting up from his seat in irritation. "Now, would you mind _shutting up_ for a bit?"

"Stop it, Sirius!" Isabella hissed. Sirius, who did settle back in his chair, refused to look in her direction.

"He's been a little short since last night, Professor" James defended him quickly while Dumbledore continued to practice patience as always; Phineas, though, looked highly embarrassed with himself. He cleared his throat and straightened up pompously once more. "That's all I wanted to know!" he said coldly, his nose slightly higher up in the air than usual. Eyeing Dumbledore more grimly than ever, he added, " _Now_ would you take me seriously when I say you're being reckless, Albus? _Now_ do you understand the dangers you are exposing these children to?"

James, Sirius and Isabella exchanges curious glances (Sirius still actively avoiding her eye) as Phineas continued to chide a worried looking Dumbledore.

" _Now_ would you believe me when I say the end is near...?"

"...that's quite enough, Phineas," Dumbledore cut him off instantly, but the damage was done; the two boys next to her don't miss a _thing_.

"The _what_?" said Sirius.

"What 'end'?" James chimed in too, only to add to Dumbledore's worry. "Professor, what is going on?"

Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his temple tensely; it was more than evident that he didn't like talking about whatever this was about, and the thought scared Isabella the most.

"Phineas, here, is an expert Scryist. He has studied the stars long enough to know exactly what fate awaits each one of us and its likely outcome. However," he said and turned towards Phineas's portrait this time, "as much as I trust and respect your skills, my friend, I still don't think all's lost yet."

Phineas flailed his hands in indignation, no doubt infuriated at the fact that he could not jump out of his frame and strangle Dumbledore to death with his bare hands.

"But, Professor..."

"Sirius, dear boy, do you trust me?" were the words that came in response from Dumbledore.

Sirius paused. "You bet."

Dumbledore smiled. "Then there's nothing else to say, is there?" he said smoothly bringing the conference to an end. "Now, off you go, all three of you. I don't want you missing your first Transfiguration class for the term."

...

"He's not telling us something, that's for sure!" said James as the three of them huffed down the nearly empty corridor past chilly windows for their first class. Isabella was tempted to throw in her observations into the conversation too, but the obvious hostility she was receiving from Sirius's end numbed her mute. "Something big's goin' on" he said.

"Uh huh," grunted Sirius.

"Yep," chimed in Isabella.

"I mean... We _need_ to decode whatever this is about. We have to figure out the connection between that stone and the curse and…"

"Yeah, sure," Sirius mumbled.

"Count me _OUT_ ," droned Isabella.

James paused, curiously contemplating the lack of reaction from the pair. "Also, did you know about that Sixth Knight that Nigey was talking about?" he asked, giving Sirius a nudge this time.

Sirius merely shook his head and marched on.

"You know, I bet Lupin'd know…"

"Probably."

"Most definitely."

And that was the limit. James looked from one to another, his expression bordering on manic incredulity now. " _WHAT is the matter with you two_?" he bellowed.

"Nothing."

"Nothing."

…

The first week back at Hogwarts had never this bad in the history of Time! With the new curriculum in place, both the students _and_ the teachers seemed to be stressed beyond expression, with the latter smothering the former in every class. Isabella's homework situation had steadily worsened right from the _second_ day of her return to school to such an extent that she was now regretting ever coming back. The fifth-years, the Marauders included, were barely getting more than a couple of hours' worth of sleep day-after-day so much so that the first week passed in a haze of tiredness.

Friday morning dawned, and Isabella was late— _very_ late.

"...unfavourable conditions, but it is what it is, unless some of you (and your mothers) fancy spending the next several years pointlessly stuck in Azkaban!" were the words she heard as crossed the vegetable patch and hurried towards the greenhouses.

"May I come in, Professor?" she panted as she reached the door. Everyone's heads turned around towards her and she instantly felt her skin prickle with embarrassment.

"How wonderful! You decided to grace us all with your presence, after all!" snapped Sprout, speaking in an oddly hysterical voice. "Would you care to join us?" she spat out, pointing to a desk at the very front of the class. Isabella thought Sprout looked slightly _more_ dishevelled today than ever, confirming her suspicions that most of the Hogwarts staff HATE the new programme as well; at least the Ministry had pulled a nasty trick on them all _equitably_ , eh?

James, who had leaned over the long table to get a glimpse of the late-comer's face, gave a low whistle as she quickly slid into the stuffy nursery. "You chose _today_ of all to be late to class when she's in the worst of moods?" he asked Isabella as she got closer to him, grinning uncontrollably. "Like it up, close and personal with the devil, eh?"

" _Up yours_!" she hissed through gritted teeth, making him break down laughing.

"You lucky puppy!" he called out sarcastically as she took her seat right under Sprout's boiling hot face

"Less cheek for the rest of the class and I might consider NOT giving you a detention, Potter!" Sprout snarled before screaming out the instructions for the day.

Isabella sank her gloved hands into the Flutterby pot in front of her and desperately scanned the table across its length. Lily and Claiborne waved apologetically at her from the other side of the room, making her burn with jealousy. She'd rather be stuck between her two best friends and barely make it out of class than be wedged right under the devil's nose and mess up every line of the instructions.

Somewhere along the middle of the table stood Lucius, tall and handsome, staring worriedly in her direction. _What in the world's GOING ON with you?_ he mouthed violently at her.

 _I know, I'm sorry!_ she mouthed back, pulling a couple of twigs apart and rubbing fertiliser on the damaged side.

 _Talk to me! NOW!_ he hissed and in a flash, started packing up his stuff without waiting for an answer. Sirius's head, Isabella noticed, automatically jerked up as Lucius noisily cleared his station and stormed in her direction. He callously nudged a timid Hufflepuff girl to the side and took his place on Isabella's right, all in under ten seconds.

From the corner she saw Sirius shaking his head in complete disgust. "Just when I thought she couldn't get any stupider…" Sirius muttered loud enough for them to hear.

"Says the King of the Halfwits," Lucius shot back so smoothly, Isabella almost found it immensely ' _sexy_ '.

"Since when did you get so good with comebacks?" she asked, not even attempting to hide the awe in her voice.

"Since you started giving me palpitations! You haven't talked to me in over a _week_! Now, _spill_ ," he said, pruning the the bush effortlessly.

Isabella hesitated for a second; she hadn't even told the girls about any of the recent developments, so it almost felt like she was cheating on her own two best friends when she spent the next quarter of an hour vomiting every last detail of her life.

Lucius shook his head in disbelief.

"You know, the last thing I want to hear is Black coming to his senses and falling head over heels for you," he muttered, hardly looking at her.

Isabella almost laughed. "And the possibility of that happening is near zero. He's on about all things _Marlene_ now! You should know that better than anyone else," she said, still grinning at the grimace on his face.

"You're barking mad, you know that?" he said, looking straight into her eyes this time. "And he's far too thickheaded to know what he's missing out on, it's almost _laughable_!" he said bitterly.

"Don't be ridic..."

"Is he right, though?" Lucius cut in, stopping everything and turning around to face her. "Was the song _really_ about Black?" he asked, staring blankly into her eyes.

Isabella noticed Sirius watching them intently behind Lucius's head.

"I'll be damned," he muttered disbelievingly, as she guiltily met his eyes.

...

Over the next couple of weeks, the initial shock of school and homework had finally started to wane, replaced by a feeling of 'a new normal' where students, fifth year and above were constantly found burning the midnight oil well past 3 or 4 in the morning.

For Isabella, in particular, and she didn't know what kind of evil sorcery this was, but no amount of sacrificed sleep, _not even skipped breakfasts and lunches_ was doing the trick—no matter what she did, she always found herself struggling to keep up with the lessons while Claiborne and Lily seemed to easily FLOAT their way through fifth-year!

The only consolation, perhaps, was that Ryan still hadn't abandoned her as yet for being the worst girlfriend ever; if anything, she actually looked forward to seeing him during breaks and in the Common Room after classes and get her mind off of all the stress for just a little while. Admittedly, it was extremely easy around him: he always laughed at her stupid jokes, was more than willing to help her practice her spells and lend her some of his previous year's notes; and the longer she spent time with him, the colder the war got between her and Sirius.

The two of them had completely stopped talking to each other, were fully avoiding ever running into one another in the corridors and devoted all of their waking hours pretending the other didn't exist, and Isabella didn't even fully understand _why_! In all honesty, she hoped things would go back to how they were with Sirius, because then, at least she'd see more of James and the boys; she did miss being in their company quite a bit...

One Saturday morning, which also happened to be the term's first ever Hogsmeade visit, Isabella had woken up really early and willed herself to finish at least one-tenth of the homework she'd been assigned the previous week, just so that Lily might consider letting her go to the village with her and the girls. Almost gritting her teeth in irritation, she plunged her quill into the parchment, determined to finish Slughorn's moonstone essay when she heard the portrait hole swing open and three tired boys tumbled into the Common Room.

"Izzy?!" said James, startled beyond expression as Peter and Sirius straightened up behind him. "Wh— _It's five-thirty on a Saturday_ , what are you doing up?"

"Studying! What are _you_ three doing _outside_ the tower this early in the morning?" she asked, curiously surveying their uncharacteristically exhausted faces—Sirius, for his part, looked like he would drop dead any second now...

James sighed and collapsed on the sofa closest to her, as if relieved the Common Room hadn't been infested with other fellow House-mates who would've witnessed their meandering ways. "Oh, just out and about," he said, casually flicking his shoulders, but his eyes were barely open as he spoke. "Doing the usual..."

Isabella raised an eyebrow. "' _Doing the usual_ '?" she repeated, watching him wipe his glasses of what she thought was mud. "And 'usual' meaning...?"

" _Girls_ ," said Sirius, putting particular emphasis to the word and glaring straight into her face. "'Twas _quite_ a fun night, I must say," he said, making her jerk her head in his direction.

James and Peter exchanged glances.

Something about what he said and the _way_ he said it stung her beyond words... It felt wrong, like he had _betrayed_ her in some capacity! Every breath she took in after that seemed to burn in her chest; a burning she was not very familiar with. She didn't understand why Sirius being with a girl should make her so angry in the first place. She wasn't this angry even when she'd walked in on him and Claire in the broom closet last _November_?! It wasn't even as if she wasn't used to seeing him wrapped around a girl's waist before, _so what's changed now_?!

"' _Girls_ '?" she repeated, completely oblivious to James and Peter now; she wasn't even in the mental state to acknowledge Remus was missing from the pack. "As in _plural_?" she spat out scathingly. Given a chance, she'd gladly hex him out recognition right this instant!

James, as if he had sensed the growing tension between the pair, suddenly stood up and feigned a yawn. "Ah! Would you see the time? Less than three hours to watch the entire tower march to Hogsmeade!" he guffawed sarcastically and nudged Peter on the side, as if asking him to take the hint. "Better get a wink then, eh?" he added quickly, wearing the fakest of smiles and forcefully pulling Peter up to his feet while Sirius continued to stay put, not moving a muscle.

An awkward moment passed when all four of them avoided each others' eye, hardly even daring to breathe.

"Er... You know, there's an old saying," started James, speaking to no one in particular. "' _Words over swords_ ', it says."

" _James..._ " Sirius said exasperatedly.

"I'm just saying, don't _kill_ each other!" James stated, shrugging innocently, before quickly adding, "...as a 'general advise' to _Peter_ , here, of course! What did _you_ think?" he scoffed stupidly at Sirius before thumping him painfully friend on the back, while Isabella broiled in mind-numbing awkwardness.

"Keep it together," he finally mumbled to the walls before tugging on Peter's hand and bouncing out of the room, leaving a dead silence behind them.

Neither spoke for a long time, as they sat across each other, staring into nothingness and allowing the stillness to nearly smother them alive...

When Isabella finally looked up, she found Sirius still stubbornly staring into the fire, his legs elegantly stretched out on the coffee table in front of him, almost as if waiting for her to hit him first with her best shot.

Trembling a little from all the contained anger, she agitatedly tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear and said, "You know, it's none of my business what you do in your alone time..."

"You're right, it isn't," he said, cutting her off in mid-sentence. "I'd rather you respect my choices as I respect yours, no matter how _nonsensical_ ," he said, gritting his teeth and finally turning his head in her direction, "they may be," he finished, glaring daggers at her.

Isabella was quiet for a bit, quite unsure of the current dynamic that abounded between them right now.

"Sirius, WHAT in Merlin's name did you expect me to _do_? Pine for you till the end of time?!" she yelled, digging her fingers into her fist in anger. "Because, what if I NEVER stop feeling this way about you?!" she screamed. "What, then?"

"Why didn't you TELL me earlier?!" he screamed back, now swinging his legs off the table and facing her. "Why'd you wait for three _fucking_ long years when I was RIGHT there in front of you?"

" _I didn't see the point_...!"

" _THAT'S_ not the point! The point is I thought we were friends and that we told each other _everything_! Can you blame me for feeling just a _little betrayed_?"

"What is this _REALLY_ about, Sirius? Are you mad because I didn't tell you or are you mad because I'm with _Ryan_ now?" she growled, kicking her chair backwards and getting to her feet. "Which is it?"

Sirius paused, breathing heavily from all the anger gurgling inside of him. "I'm mad because MY best friend is still a manky, daft _COW_!" he yelled, getting up on his feet himself.

It felt like a slap to her face.

The corners of Isabella's eyes automatically started to prickle painfully as he stepped dangerously closer to her.

"I'm mad because you went flitting off with the FIRST blockhead that fancied you! I'm mad because you still don't go after WHAT _YOU_ WANT! You still think you don't get to choose, that you aren't entitled to have what you LOVE! You're a loser, Izzy. You'll always be that fat and ugly girl who'd HATE herself no matter _what she DID IN LIFE_!" he yelled, his voice echoing throughout the room.

Isabella stood there, rooted to the spot and staring into his large, grey eyes even as a tear trickled down her face. And in all that silence, the only thing she could hear was the thumping of her own heart, the crackling of the fire and the cold breeze blowing outside the window. Her face had gone numb with shock as his words replayed in her mind over and over again.

"Fat and ugly, huh?" she repeated, her voice quivering uncontrollably with emotion now. Sirius blinked as if he'd suddenly been slapped awake. "So, _that's_ what I'll always be to you..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper, her face now glistening with emotion.

Sirius was completely thrown for words now and simply stared at her in stunned silence.

"I need some air," she breathed and before he could even move a muscle, she pushed him aside and stormed out of the Common Room, finally allowing herself break down entirely.

Pushing herself through the portrait hole, she set off on a run towards nowhere, wanting nothing but to be as far away from the plonker as possible! Gasping for breath, her footsteps ominously echoed through the empty, dark and dimly lit corridors, as she ran and ran until developing a stitch in her side that felt as though she had a knife between her ribs.

And a second later his words replayed in her mind, making her dissolve into tears once again. She didn't understand why he had so much power over her, _why_ she always let him get under her skin, WHY only his opinions of her MATTERED THIS MUCH!

She stopped at last in the first-floor corridor overlooking the Entrance Hall and let her tears run down her face in silence. And it was at that precise moment that she knew that there was no help for it—she was mad for him no matter what.

"Izzy," said a voice from afar.

She looked up and found Sirius marching towards her from the other end of the long corridor.

"Go away," she hiccoughed bitterly.

"No," he said and continued to close the gap between them.

"Leave me ALONE, Sirius, I've had _quite_ enough from you for the day!" she yelled and started walking away from him once more.

"Would you stop?" she heard him say from the back.

" _Why_? Have a few more insults to throw my way?" she screamed and turned around to face him once more. "Haven't you _mutilated_ me enough?!"

"I'm sorry..."

" _Go. TO HELL_!" she cried.

But he seemed unstirred.

Still holding her gaze, he continued to draw closer to her, a look of absolute yearning hanging in his eyes.

"I'm sure this is wrong..." he whispered, speaking about something completely unrelated all of a sudden. "It must be..." she heard him say.

Isabella froze in place. "What...?"

"I'm sorry for this, Izzy..."

Confusion set in.

"Sirius, what are you talking about?"

"I'm not thinking straight right now... I don't know what I'm doing..." he whispered, now only a few feet away from her.

Isabella's heartbeat rose once again and a strange kind of fear crept up her spine.

Her eyes locked with his as she watched him inch closer and closer to her with a determination that made her feet curl.

Fear pulsed through her veins as she slowly started to step away from him.

"Sirius, please..." she whispered as he strode faster than ever towards her. "Don't get any closer..."

"...Screw you," he breathed and before she knew it, he had put his hand out, held her face, pulled her close and crashed his lips onto hers.

It was instant fireworks.

Isabella's whole body seemed to have burst into flames as he pulled her closer to him by the waist and continued to press his lips hard against hers even as a tiny moan escaped her lips, driving him mad for a split second. As if melting back in response, he curled his hands around her until she was entirely wrapped inside his large frame and dived in to kiss her again. The two of them staggered until she felt herself slam against the wall behind her, making it easier for him to hold her in place and take full advantage of her soft, full lips...

Until this second, she didn't know such a passion existed; she didn't know someone could make her feel this alive, this _desired_.

And before she knew it, she was kissing him back, rubbing and caressing and fondling him in ways she had only dreamed of in the past, driven entirely by instinct and not _one bit_ by experience. And the longer they kissed, the more aware she became of his rock-hard chest pressed against her front, making her flush even more.

Sirius finally moved his right hand up and wrapped it around her face, as if he wanted nothing more than to hold her like this and kiss her forever. Everything disappeared, dissolved into oblivion and all that existed for Isabella in this instant was her and Sirius, begging each other for more and drowning entirely in the kiss.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally pulled away and the ground beneath her feet felt solid once more.

Isabella was still shaking feverishly as he held her in his arms, feeling too cowardly to look into her eyes just yet.

"I'm sorry..." he repeated and closed his eyes in exhaustion. "I really am..." he said and rested his head against hers.


	15. The Vanishing Cabinet

**Love-Fiction-2019:** You're amazing :) Thank you for reviewing!

 **Lulu111:** Yeah! :D

* * *

 **Chapter 15: The Vanishing Cabinet**

 _Unedited..._

* * *

The two of them were breathing heavily, still wrapped around each other and still in no capacity to talk about what had just happened. Sirius was leaning on to her with his head pressed against hers and looked like he might pass out any second from exhaustion.

As for Isabella, she held on to him as if her whole life depended on it, on this moment where all was perfect with the world—this moment where she didn't have to pretend to be someone she was not; a world where she got to be held right; a world where there was no need for words at all because he GOT her.

"Don't let _anyone_ talk to you like that ever again," she heard him whisper, his voice quivering feverishly. "Not even me…"

Isabella smiled.

"Even if you're absolutely right?" she asked.

" _Even_ if I'm absolutely right…" he replied, and she thought she heard a slight smirk in his voice. Everything was quiet around them, as if a storm had just raged and blown itself out mere moments ago.

And for a fleeting second, Ryan's face flashed before her eyes causing her to drown in instant panic.

As if he had read her mind, she felt him comfortingly wind his hands tighter around her body. "Stop overthinking. Evantrap can be handled," she heard him mutter, her head still tucked comfortably under his chin. " _I'll_ talk to him. Explain the whole thing, tell him what happened—I'll take full responsibility for this mess, and if we're lucky, he—"

"—No, Sirius, I'm just as responsible," she blurted out, cutting him short. " _I_ dragged him needlessly into this muck and now I'm paying for it," she said, feeling weaker and weaker at the mere thought of letting him know this was over.

Sirius's body stiffened at once, as if hit by a shock wave. "What?" he said pulling back and staring curiously down at her. "What do you—?"

"You heard me..." she said, looking up weakly at him.

"Wha—Izzy, you—" he stuttered, completely thrown for words now. " _Why'd_ you do it, then?" he asked, releasing her slowly.

Isabella didn't say anything. She knew EXACTLY what he was referring to and was, regrettably, _far_ too embarrassed to admit the truth, even to herself! And even as he stood there towering above her, she could feel the pressure of the moment build up with every passing second, making her head hurt in agitation.

The sun was slowly starting to come up now, swathing the corridors with the cool morning light.

" _Izzy_?" he pressed on, now with one hand on the wall behind her and the other dug deep in his jeans pocket, waiting in an interrogative-sort-of-way. " _Why_ were you monkeying with Ryan?" he repeated, as if she hadn't heard him the first time.

A tense moment passed where she nearly wished she got hit by a Horn-Tongue Hex that she could use as an excuse to escape his penetrating eyes and this rotten situation.

Pursing her lips fearfully, she stared blankly at him, hardly breathing.

"I just..." she sighed and closed her eyes in complete disgust, "I wanted to make you jealous," she finally said it, out loud— _finally admitting it to herself_. And the longer he stood there dumbstruck, the stronger became her desire to hurl herself off the tower. "Well, at least I _hoped_ you'd be... Does that make me pathetic?" she asked after what seemed like forever and stared into his dumbstruck face.

He smirked, but his eyes were wide and unmoving as if they'd frozen in place in shock. "Not if it worked..." he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

Time stopped that second. A numbness as though she'd suddenly been plunged into a bucket of ice-cold water crept up her face, making this moment seem far from reality. "Drove me crazy," he admitted, letting his hand drop to his side, as she stared on wide-eyed. "I don't think I'd ever get used to seeing you with someone else. Not with Malfoy and definitely not with _Evantrap_ and I don't even know _why_ that is," he said, defensively pocketing both his hands now and looking sightly as ever in his black leather jacket and white T-shirt.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "That's funny because _you_ set us up," she reminded him.

Sirius smiled handsomely and rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah! ALL of us knew how insanely far-gone he was about you. He was about ready to bite his arm off for you after he saw you flying for the first time."

Isabella frowned even more now. "So..." she began, putting two and two together, "you decided to _gift_ me to him?" she asked, starting to feel a tinge of annoyance rise inside of her.

Sirius shifted uneasily at the sudden change in her stance. Defensively chewing on his lip, he tossed the question over in his mind for a bit.

" _Of course_ ," he finally said matter-of-factly, and Isabella's eyebrows travelled further up in her forehead. "Izzy, he was—and perhaps still is— _as good as it can get_..." he reasoned. "Of the lot of blockheads out there, _me included_ , he's the one lone decent lad to exist, so when he told me he fancied you, I had to do the right thing…" he said, and although his voice seemed steady, his eyes were saying a whole other story.

She paused, quite unsure of the direction this conversation was heading in. "You still feel the same way?" she asked, and for some reason, her eyes were now permanently narrowed at him.

He didn't say anything at first and simply stared down at her, hardly breathing.

"How do I put this...?" he muttered to himself and nervously ran a hand through his long, black hair. "You—Izzy, you deserve the best... _the very best_ ," he started, hardly having the courage to look at her. "And it's no secret that I was— _and still am_ —a dickhead of _epic_ proportions... I've done nothing but cause you pain..." he said and shakily ran his hand through his silky locks once again. "I'm not worth it... Not then, and _definitely_ not now..." he said, shaking his head pathetically.

Isabella was glaring daggers at him now. "You know, you MIGHT just be right about that," she spat out so scathingly, he almost winced at her tone.

"—I'm just saying, at the time, I loved the idea of the two of you getting together!" he cut in. "And he's a good lad! You keep saying that yourself!"

She was all of EXPLODING on the spot now. "So, what the HELL are you saying now...?!"

" _I'm saying I'm bad news_!" he blurted out, his voice echoing all around. "I'm saying I'll ruin _everything_ between us because that is what I do! Whatever little respect you have for me will dissipate in MONTHS if we... if ' _we_ ' happen..." he said, taking in her shocked stance.

"What?" she said, finally understanding what he was saying.

And all of a sudden, the mad rush of cold water seemed to sting her BLOODY.

" _WHAT_?!" she repeated, glowering at him this time. "Why'd you do it then, Sirius? _Why'd_ you come after me today?!"

He mutely gazed down at her, almost as if at a complete loss for words. The sun had fully risen now, revealing his once handsome features now looking haggard and beat, with dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. "I—Izzy, I couldn't help myself... _I hurt you..._ " he whispered, running his finger along the side of her face. "And I _had_ to make it right—"

"— _HONESTLY_?!" she yelled reproachfully.

"What—Babe, I don't even think I'm _right_ for you—!"

But Isabella wasn't even listening, drained of all energy as reality shook her giddy. "You are such a _coward_ , Sirius," she finally managed to say.

"Izzy, no, look!" he started, and scooped her face up with both his hands, as if desperate to make her understand, but she swiftly slapped him away. "No, you listen to _me_ ," she said, a fire burning in her eyes. "I'm done. You and I, it's over, it's _finally_ over!" she hissed, tears pooling around the corners of her eyes. "I'm not letting you toy with me like this ever _again_ ," she said and hotly swung around to leave the place.

"What?! Izzy, _NO_!" he said and pulled her back by the hand. "This was EXACTLY what I was trying to _avoid_... I can't lose you, Iz! You're my BEST FRIEND, _you're too important_!"

She paused and stared at him incredulously. "Do you realise, that after today, we will NEVER see each other as 'friends' again?" she retorted. "We will never be friends again, Sirius... We've _both_ ruined it... _Forever_!" she yelled and yanked her hand out of his grip.

There was so much truth in her words that it hit them both equally, rendering them absolutely speechless—and the two of them simply stood there, staring at each other for several minutes, allowing the silence to embrace them.

"BLACK!" a voice suddenly echoed through the corridor, making them both crash-land back to earth. "There you are! I was just going to pop by the Gryffindor tower" said a very cheerful Frank, jogging up to them from the East Tower.

"Ah! Cousin Frank!" said Sirius, swinging his head around and forcing a smile on his face as Frank neared them. Still holding her tight by the arm he quickly recovered and tried to look as nonchalant as possible.

"Wuss goin' on?" asked Frank, watching the pair curiously.

"Oh, nothing fancy. You just caught us breaking up!" he guffawed bitterly, managing to make even the raw truth sound like a bleeding, sarcastic joke.

"Wow! _Excellent news_!" he chuckled, fully buying into the joke and shining brighter than the sun. "Congratulations! I couldn't be happier for you, Williams!" he laughed sarcastically, thumping Sirius painfully on the back. "I hope he at least made up good for that, if you know what I mean!" he said, teasingly nudging Sirius on the side, forcing him to break into a coy grin.

"Sure did..." Sirius muttered, sounding more regretful than Isabella had ever heard him before.

"Boy never disappoints!" said Frank, thumping him in mock pride before breaking into a grin once again. "Anyway, where be the lads?" Frank asked, throwing his hand over Sirius's shoulder.

"Resting," Sirius simply replied, but for some reason Isabella thought he was implying something more. "Was just headed down for breakfast, care to join us?" he added. Isabella, although gutted, could not help but appreciate the sly, _non-declinable_ invitation that Sirius had just extended her.

"Absolutely," said Frank, and led the way to the Great Hall with Sirius under his tow. "You know, you look like you're dying from Dragon Pox, mate! Shouldn't you be resting as well instead of snogging Williams in deserted corridors at such odd hours?" he said with a chuckle, completely oblivious to the impact his words were having on the two fifteen-year-old's.

"Well, when the girl's this _irresistible_..." Sirius joked back bitterly, as the three of them climbed down the stairs, his hand still stubbornly wrapped around Isabella's wrist.

"Speaking of snogging, you 'KNOW', right?" Frank asked Isabella, suddenly nudging her out of nowhere and grinning silly. "Alice must have told you..."

And for the first time that morning, a genuine smile broke on her face. Nodding enthusiastically, she said, "In fact, she extended me the pleasure of being one of the privileged few to know about it!" she said, weakly. "Lily and Clay still don't know. And, you goose! You two have been sneaking behind our backs all this time?" she asked, playfully punching him in the arm.

Frank's grin grew wider. "WHAT?! _We weren't sneaking at all_! In fact, we made it so obvious, LUPIN noticed and confronted me almost a year ago!" he laughed, as they entered the completely deserted Great Hall. The ceiling was a light shade of blue with white blotches for clouds peppered throughout. "So, yeah, _I'm_ the reason she couldn't come over to your place for Christmas this year. Decided to introduce her to my family, you know?" he said, sitting opposite to her and Sirius on the Gryffindor table.

Almost instantly, their plates filled with an assortment of delicious food including toasted bread, bacon, boiled eggs, fried sausages, kippers, a whole jar of pumpkin juice and some corn cobs. Having no appetite herself, she wistfully watched the boys chomp down their breakfast like they'd been starving for days.

"I know, I reckoned something important must've come up," she lied, smiling weakly.

Frank nodded, still sporting a sheepish smile and stuffing his already full mouth with more bacon. "So, er, mate," he said, turning towards Sirius this time and lowering his voice down to a whisper for some reason. Isabella looked around curiously at the fully empty Hall, and back at the two boys who were alert as gundogs now. "Did he show up last night too?"

Sirius suddenly looked indignant now. "Yes! At least, James _thought_ we were being followed and you know how sharp his instincts are!" he spat out, looking sicker than ever.

"You've got to be JOKING!" Frank yelled back, looking flabbergasted. "'Cause I've been up all night patrolling the dungeons and I DID NOT SEE THE COOT SNEAKING OUT!" he whisper-yelled, and a sudden sense of horror descended on the two boys.

"Are you telling me he knows about the secret passage _under_ the dungeons, then?" asked Sirius, growing paler and paler than ever.

A form of undiluted fear crossed Frank's eyes. "Mate, I'm not sure..."

Sirius paused in absolute disbelief. " _Frank_! There's NO other way he could've left the dungeons and still followed us _without being spotted_!" he hissed through gritted teeth, fully managing to grip Isabella's curiosity now. "James was a hundred percent confident we'd been followed last night and that only means one thing," he said, clenching his fist furiously. "Bugger me. He knows about Remus."

"And he wants him expelled and _GONE_!" Frank finished, shuddering dreadfully. "What an _arsehole_..." he exclaimed, sounding too blown away for words.

" _WHO ARE YOU TWO_ TALKING _ABOUT_?!" Isabella yelled, finally losing all patience.

Frank looked up at Sirius as if asking him if it was safe to tell her, to which he simply nodded. "Snivellus," he whispered at last.

Isabella's eyebrows shot up at once. "Why is Snape trying to get Remus expelled?" she asked, eyeing Sirius curiously. " _More importantly_!" she yelled, prompting the boys to gesture wildly at her to keep it quiet. "What is he doing SO BAD that could guarantee _EXPULSION_?!" she hissed.

"We can't tell you," Sirius said flatly and resumed chomping down his breakfast.

Isabella glared at him in disbelief. "Sirius, I overheard Severus and Lily arguing in the library a couple of months ago," she whispered, her voice shaking in contained anger. "It was about Remus," she finished, making both of them jump up in their seats. "He knows something about Remus and he _was_ expressing his desire to expose him and Lily tried to talk him out of it. _Yes_ , Lily knows too!" she shot out, when Sirius opened his mouth in surprise.

" _HOW_ does Lily know?"

"I DON'T KNOW! But, that's not the point! Point is, he could've gone to Dumbledore a long while back with Remus's secret and done him over, but if he's following you to gather more dirt, it only means he suspects something else about the REST of you and wants to expose you all AT THE SAME TIME! So, then, out with it! You three doing something supremely forbidden too that I need to know?" she asked, fire blazing in her eyes.

Frank and Sirius stared at each other as if a fog had finally been lifted. "That gormless little wanker," Sirius cursed under his breath. "This is revenge for when James _humiliated_ him in front of Lily, then, isn't it?" he said, clenching his teeth in anger. "And he DARES to ruin _Remus's_ life?!"

"Sirius, getting expelled means YOUR life is ruined too!" said Frank.

Sirius stared blankly at him. "And that's _worse_ than what could happen to _Remus_?!"

" _What's_ worse than getting expelled?!" bellowed Isabella, but the boys didn't answer and simply glared at each other, exchanging a million thoughts that she was not at all a part of.

"Speaking of," she started, gritting her teeth in anger, "where _IS_ Remus?"

Frank said, "Hospital Wing," while Sirius said, "The dorm," at the same time.

All three of them froze, a look of horror playing on Frank's face at his mistake—and Isabella could not have been angrier.

...

She didn't know what to feel—or _how_ to feel about all that had taken place this morning as she, Sirius and Frank made their way back up to their Tower and in through the portrait hole. She didn't even remember giving the password when the Fat Lady cursed them all for waking her up so early on this glorious Saturday morning, almost as if all her senses had been numbed temporarily.

She couldn't think at all.

Or see.

It looked like the room was spinning all around her peppered with flurries of anxiety shaking her up every now and then.

And it wasn't about what Sirius and the boys were doing last night that needed _Frank_ , a very well-meaning and well-behaved PREFECT, to patrol the castle corridors and keep watch all night or WHAT sent Remus to the Hospital Wing or _why_ Snape thinks he can get them all expelled (and possibly even thrown into Azkaban) OR the fact that there's a secret passageway _under_ the dungeons that the boys were somehow aware of—no.

It was still all about the kiss.

And her knees almost gave away.

"This is not over," Sirius said, suddenly grabbing her by the arm and completely knocking the breath out of her lungs. "We're not done talking about this, so no stupid decisions, alright?" she heard him say from under a well before Frank dragged him off towards the boys' dorms to get their much-needed sleep.

They slammed the door behind them, leaving her alone in shattering silence.

The rhythmic beating inside of her chest rang in her ears, getting louder and louder with every passing second until her whole body started to sway with heaviness.

And no matter how hard she tried, her mind wouldn't stop replaying the moment when her lips had made contact with his, getting more and more creative than the last; the imagery changed so much, she wasn't even sure if it happened in the first place now!

One time, he grabs her face with only his right hand, another time, he pulls her close with _both_ hands, and yet another time, she herself is hurling her body headfirst towards him, grabbing him by the collar and attacking his face like some sort of a—

"Izzy?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin.

She was looking at her, but not really _seeing_ her because she couldn't shut up the thoughts that were jarring Grunge inside of her head. In all honesty, she _knew_ how important it was to respond to Lily right away instead of standing there shell-shocked in the middle of the Common Room and practically screaming for help in this fashion.

"Isabella Williams, _what's happened_?" Lily asked, watching her friend looking shell-shocked in the middle of the room, not even realising the wide neck of her sweater had slipped down her left shoulder. "Why do you _look_ like that?" she pressed on.

Isabella didn't respond immediately, allowing the blood to flow into her face and un-blurring her vision once again. She didn't know why or how, but having Lily there seemed to calm her down exponentially…

And before she knew it, she'd taken two swift steps towards her and thrown her hands around her best friend.

"Izzy, what the hell?" she heard Lily say, clearly panicking beyond measure. "Are you alright?" she said, wrapping her hands comfortingly around Isabella. "Did someone hurt you?"

"I've been keeping things from you and Clay, Lily," were the first words she managed to say, still feeling too numb to even cry. "And I can't do it alone anymore…" she sighed, finally feeling her body relax after Merlin knew how long. "And I'm terribly sorry for not—"

"No, we knew," Lily said, still hugging her tight. "We wanted you to come to us whenever you were ready," she said, rubbing her back. "Ever since Christmas, you've been so aloof I almost felt bad for you, Iz. But, surely, whatever this is about can't be as bad if we tackle it _together_ , you know?" she said, finally releasing her and holding her at arm's length. "That's what friends are for... To help you through it, Izzy! Let me in," she pleaded, looking wide-eyed into her face.

The relief that washed through her was almost inexplicable because, she knew from this point on, she didn't have to fight alone—she had Lily sharing the burden.

"Let's take a walk," said Isabella locking her hand in Lily's and dragging her to towards the portrait hole once more.

As soon as the two girls were out of their tower and out of earshot, Isabella turned towards Lily. "Tell me about Remus and I will tell you my secret," she said, instantly managing to drain all the colour from Lily's face.

"Wh—About Re-Remus?" she stuttered, shifting uncomfortably on the spot. "What's that got to do with any of—"

"He's in the Hospital Wing, Lily," said Isabella. "And by the looks of it, Snape is trying to out him, so I need to what you know."

"Severus?!" she yelled. " _Why is he_...? But I thought I asked him to... _How do you know that_...?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me."

The two girls stared into each other's faces, knowing fully well that the outcome of opening this can was going to send them on a whirlwind down the drain.

"Okay, fine!" Lily finally gave in, "But!" she said, putting her hands out decisively, "What I tell you now shouldn't reach Claiborne's ears..." she said, both of them thinking the on the same lines. "Not till she's ready."

Isabella nodded grimly, mentally crossing her fingers for Claiborne.

And the rest was history.

Isabella, much to her HORROR, learnt for the first time ever that Remus was a werewolf, that Lily had known since their second year after she'd researched about Lyncanthropy for fun, and that, she was in complete awe of James for embracing Remus despite this fact _whilst_ turning a questionable shade of red in the face as she said it.

Lily learnt that Sirius has cursed blood, that he's probably the direct descendant of Gryffindor and that all this somehow relates to the whole world coming to an end if he united with his Pair for the seventh time according to the legend (and Isabella's stomach did an instantaneous somersault as she said it).

Isabella also learnt in the scheme of things that Lily and James were at their awkward worst at the moment, not knowing what to say or where to look when they bumped into each other or found themselves alone in a room, making Lily wonder if their friendship had finally ended, prompting Isabella to point the absurdity of the statement, asking if there really HAD been any friendship there to begin with.

Oh, also, Isabella learnt that the mind-reading journal that Remus had got Claiborne for Christmas had caused quite a ruckus outside the girls' bathroom when the beautiful Nabirye Eesuola, a seventh-year student, accidentally read a page when Claiborne was calling her a 'self-involved, shallow _seacow_.' Apparently, Claiborne surprised Lily quite a bit when she very bravely called Eesuola a 'slag' _to her face_ when confronted, which eventually resulted in the very public catfight.

The two girls were so engrossed in the conversation, they hardly noticed the sun shining down on them or the empty grounds sloely filling up with students excited about getting their first break to Hogsmeade.

Still laughing and wiping the tears off her face and having completed their second round around the lake, Lily looked at Isabella and frowned a bit. "There's something else you're not telling me," she said.

Isabella froze in mid-laugh and looked at her even as the morning's events flashed before eyes making her stomach squirm guiltily.

It had been one of the strangest mornings in Hogwarts history for Isabella. Little did she know that when her alarm clock woke her up at 4 o'clock this morning, she was merely an hour away from getting kissed by Sirius Black, two hours away from learning that the Marauders were not just idiotic pranksters but LEGIT outlaws of the _third_ kind, and three hours away from lying to her own best friend about the first incident. She didn't understand why she wasn't telling Lily. Maybe she didn't want her to think she cheated on Ryan or worse, if she thought she was _better off_ with Ryan, but she was sure she was going to regret the decision quite a lot in the future.

"Nothing else, Lily," she said, without even blinking.

"Oh, alright," she sighed, buying into her lie entirely. The buzzing from the castle in the distance had a strange kind of hum to it, one only Hogsmeade can bring about. Looking up nervously, she said, "That leaves us with Severus."

Before Isabella could so much as nod in acknowledgement, a distraction arrived in the shape of Hagrid, their gamekeeper. He looked immensely pleased to have run into two of his favourite fifth-years from Gryffindor.

"Lov'ly mornin', innit?" he roared happily, striding his large body towards them and carrying a great big spade on his shoulder as if he had just shoveled up the pumpkin patch. "Perfect weather ter help 'em hatch!" he said, grinning broadly and looking happier than usual.

"What's hatching, Hagrid?" asked Lily, walking up to him.

"Ah, yeh must see 'em, dear! The teenies' lil blue eggs ye'll ever see an' they're about ter hatch into beautiful lil magical Sea Horses!" he said, gleaming down at them in joy.

A wide smile broke out on Isabella's face as she beamed with excitement at this news. "Oh, how wonderful!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Oh, I can't _wait_ to drop by your hut and watch them hatch, Hagrid!" she cried excitedly, making him chuckle with pride. Isabella had always been mighty fascinated with animals and creatures from both the Muggle and the Wizard world, and oddly, really, _really_ appreciated Hagrid's choice of beasts!

"Ah, yeh know yer always welcome, Izzy!" he grinned back, but his smile vanished almost immediately, as if he'd suddenly remembered something very important. "Oh, er, an' I hope yer don' tell Filch abou' these eggs, by the way," he said, looking as guilty as a child with candy. "He's er... He's a bit snarky terday ever since he caugh' that Black boy smgglin' the bunch o' Dark Objects..."

A streak of panic ripped through Isabella as she and Lily exchanged glances, aghast at the very least.

"One wouldn' want ter get inter Filch's bad books now, would we?" Hagrid continued on, smiling defensively.

" _Which_ Black, Hagrid?" Lily asked timidly, making him freeze in horror this time.

Blinking rapidly, they watched him smack his own head in frustration. "Oh, er, no un!" he stuttered, flailing his massive hands agitatedly. "Nuthin' happened!" he screamed, failing miserably at covering up his own tracks.

"Merlin's beard, Hagrid, was it Regulus?!" Isabella yelled. "Is he in trouble?"

"Blimey, I shouldn've!" he roared, absolutely mortified at his mistake. "Oh, fer the love o' Merlin's over-sized knickers, I hope yeh don' repeat tha' ter anyone! _I did not tell yeh nuthin'_!" he added with a growl, trying to sound as intimidating as possible but unfortunately for him, it only made Lily that much more stubborn.

"Hagrid, please, this is about our friend!" yelled Lily. "Are you ABSOLUTELY sure it was a ' _Black_ '?" she asked, but Hagrid had already turned around to escape the scene. "Regulus is only _thirteen_ , you know?" she yelled after him, making him stop dead in his tracks. She ran around his massive frame to stood in front of him, looking determined as a buck in rut. "Do you actually believe that that little boy tried to smuggle _Dark Objects_ into the castle?!" she cried, sounding reasonable enough to make even Dumbledore seem like a pathetic idiot!

"Oh, _he did_ alrigh'!" Hagrid growled back, forgetting that he was divulging confidential information yet again. "The boy's in big trouble, BIG! Four pieces o' innocent-lookin' artifacts tha' Dumbledore believes is actually _very_ dangerous! Poor boy, none can blame 'im, yeh know? His family's li' tha'! All them purebloods..." he said, shaking his head in absolute disgust.

Lily glanced at Isabella, this time looking positively terrified at what she was hearing.

"But... But... Hagrid, how _did_ he try and smuggle them in?" asked Isabella, running up to them as well.

Hagrid looked like he was torn between wanting to tell them everything and _not_ wanting to break the teachers' code at the same time.

"Look, Hagrid, I've known Regulus all my life! He's almost like my own brother and I need to know what he's got himself into!" Isabella pleaded , but trying to keep her voice calm at the same time. "I promise, we won't do _anything_ stupid!"

"I dunno 'bout tha', Izzy," said Hagrid, worriedly scratching his big mane-like hair. But looking down at the eager eyes of the two girls, he decided to finally give in. "Oh, alrigh'! I'll tell yeh, but _no monkey business_ , understood?" he asked, wagging his massive finger at them. When the two of them eagerly nodded their heads, he put his spade down and moved close to them lest they'd be overheard. "He tried ter get them in through the Vanishing Cabinet in one o' the secret rooms up in the castle," he said, lowering his voice dramatically.

Isabella and Lily looked stunned.

"Poor boy, must'ah used the spell wrong, 'cause Dumbledore claims the Cabinet is now officially broken..." he said, feeling pitiful for Regulus.

"When did this happen, Hagrid?" Isabella asked, trying to ignore the squirming in her stomach.

"Around 4 o'clock this mornin'."

"How many students were out of bed last night?" Lily grated, annoyed at this new rule-breaking culture.

"Hagrid," said Isabella, cutting Lily's rants in short, "d'you know _what_ these objects were?"

Hagrid scratched his head once again trying to recall what he'd seen. "Well, one was a ship in a bottle, one was a miniature chess board, a tiny Wiggentree inside a circular terrarium case and the last one was... oh yeah, a dagger."

Isabella looked at Lily, her mind racing. "Whoever was behind this must be stupendously mad that the Cabinet is broken..." she said even as a deadly silence took over.


	16. Heirs and Heirlooms

_Unedited..._

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Heirs and Heirlooms**

* * *

~oO **_The Night Before..._**

He sat there in the shadows, completely motionless and in a meditative state, watching the madness from a distance and amusing his senses with their idiocy.

The lemon iced-tea that he had ordered remained untouched, dripping cold water on to the table. It was bad enough that he was sitting in a Muggle setting, he didn't want to stoop lower by allowing their filthy beverage to touch his lips...

His consigliere, a young girl who had sworn her life to him, had insisted that he leave the job to her—insisted that this was no place for a wizard of his stature to pay a visit to.

What she didn't understand, however, was the importance of announcing One's _own_ arrival—the holy gesture that had to be owned entirely by the Lord himself, lest the fear be foreshortened.

No.

The world needed to know who he was.

Wizards needed to understand that Change was coming—whether they liked it or not.

And the Muggles. Well, they needed to know their place in the world, didn't they?

No.

He had to do it himself...

Determination pulsed through his veins even as sounds of celebration reached him from afar.

"—Happy birthday to you... Happy birthday TO you..."

Pitiful, he thought to himself, watching the birthday party in play at the far end of the restaurant he was sat in. And we let them on top of the table...

His gaze hardened at the thought.

 _Well, not for long_ , he thought, a slight smile cutting his features even as dislike and hatred soared up his body like hot poison. _By this time, tomorrow, I will have what I've sought for several years now… What I need to become invincible… And then, nobody can deny me…_ his lips curled in malice, his thoughts racing back to the little boy who was aiding him with quest all the way back in Hogwarts, even as he sat here, drinking in the scene in front of him.

The little party of the mother and ten or so children clapped and sang for the birthday boy who stood beaming in front of his massive cake and candle.

"—Happy BIRTHDAY dear, Terry...!"

Terry's mother wiped happy tears off her face, watching her five-year-old finally blow out the candle as his friends clapped and squealed loudly around him.

And at that exact moment, the large clock on the wall opposite to him chimed serenely.

7 o'clock. The time had come.

His fingers automatically wound themselves around his wand, itching with excitement at what was about to come, mere seconds from now.

"What's your name?" a tiny voice suddenly ripped through the silence, breaking him off his reverie.

Voldemort turned to his right to find a tiny little girl watching him with eyes full of curiosity.

"Why are you all alone?" she spoke again, innocently brushing a strand of hair off her face and inching closer to him, completely unperturbed. "You can sit with us over there, you know?" she said, pointing to a table several feet away where a young couple sat, chatting happily with each other. "Mummy and daddy won't mind," she said, tugging lightly at his black robes.

The stark contrast of their sizes would have driven anyone speechless. Voldemort was seated and still managed to tower above the tiny little girl, making her arch her neck all the way to her back to get a glimpse of his face.

He hadn't moved a muscle in all this time and simply watched the little girl, if not, completely overcome with wonderment.

Children really didn't fear anything, did they...

"What's your name?" he whispered.

A bright smile cut her features at once. "Catherine!" she squealed and happily jumped on the spot upon hearing her own name.

From the corner of his eye, he saw her mother's head jerk up at the sound of her daughter's name.

"Cathy!" she called out, turning around and finding her daughter chatting with a strange man in the shadows. "Cathy, that's quite enough chit-chat, get back over here!" he heard her say, but the little girl stood there, transfixed next to him.

"What does that do?" she asked, pointing a tiny, stubby finger at his long, white wand.

"Magic," he whispered back, waving it lightly in front of her face.

The girl's mother was getting a little agitated now. "I'm going to go get her," she whispered to her husband and got up from her chair. "Cathy, what have I told about talking to strangers?" he heard her say, but he never took his eyes off of the little girl.

"Say, Catherine," he hissed ominously into her face, "would you help me with a spell?" he said, smiling sinisterly, his eyes almost crying with mad joy.

"I know! I know!" she squealed happily. "Abra Cadabra!" she said, giggling innocently.

"No," he smiled back, just in time to look up at the angry face of her mother. Glaring daggers into her eyes, he casually flicked his wand and whispered, "Finestra...!"

Time stopped.

Voldemort had only enough time to see the look of innocent wonderment on the little girl's face before a whoosh of dark force slammed into her, marring her angelic face with blood...

An explosion ripped through his ears followed by a whistle of splinters as from a breaking window frame, decimating every member present in that little quaint joint in less than a second! A ripple of screams rang out all around him as the shattered glass from the glass walls of the restaurants pierced through everyone's skin like bullets, maiming and mutilating them from every direction. In an instant, the walls and the floors were splattered with blood as sounds of agony roared through the night—every man, woman and child present writhed and kicked and thrashed in pain, turning the quaint little place into an instant slaughterhouse...

Little Cathy lay beneath his feet, coughing up blood and struggling to breathe even as her mother desperately tried to reach her hand, bleeding through her mouth herself.

"Ca-Ca-Cath..." she gasped, bubbles of blood frothing out of her mouth. "M-Mum's here..." she choked, her hand still outstretched trying to get to her daughter, even as several other explosions resounded around them, drowning the helpless cries of pain ripping through the air.

In an instant, the row of shops and restaurants in that little street were imploding into themselves, drenching the streets with the blood of hundreds of innocents.

Casually twirling his wand between his long fingers, Voldemort rose from his seat, towering above a sea of gasping and twitching lot of Muggles and watched the spectacle with cold pride, and perhaps, a tiny hint of brawny swagger.

Kicking past the bodies around him, he slowly stepped out of the restaurant and on to the quiet night, the silence cut only by the distant sirens of approaching police cars.

"And. That's. How. It's. Done," he whispered to himself, watching the streetlights blow out too for as far as the eye could see. " _Morsemordre_!"

* * *

 **29th January, 1976**

~oO **_Back in Hogwarts..._**

A low thunder rumbled above them in the wake of strong winds blowing in their faces.

"Izzy, we have to wake the boys up," Lily declared feverishly, as the two girls waved Hagrid off into his little cottage in the distance.

"Huh?" Isabella swivelled her head, her hand still raised and halting on the spot. "What do you mean?" she asked, watching an odd determination descend on Lily's face.

Lily grimly turned towards her. "We're going to need their help if we want to break in without anyone noticing," she stated matter-of-factly.

Isabella's mouth went completely dry as her words struck her hard in the gut.

"What are you...? Break into _where_?"

"Filch's office."

A stunned silence followed that.

" _What in the WORLD_...?"

"Izzy, _it's the only way to save Regulus_!" Lily yelled, not even letting her finish.

"Save Reg…? _Merlin's beard_! What, are you _LOSING_ it up there?" Isabella bellowed, pointing at her own head.

"Izzy, how are you not _seeing_ this?!" Lily stared incredulously at her. "This isn't some stupid school rule that he's broken, it's much, MUCH bigger than that! If he gets caught, it doesn't just mean expulsion from school, he could end up getting thrown into _AZKABAN_! Now, I might not know him very well, nor do I care for the lad as much, but what we have right now is a scared little boy who needs our help! _ANY_ HELP! He's too young to realise he's lost his way, too young to realise he's actually gotten involved with the wrong lot, and much too young to face punishment for _someone else's_ CRIMES! If we don't help him, I don't know who can..." she breathed, her chest heaving and falling from the effort.

Isabella blinked incredulously. "But, Lily, it's too _dangerous_! We could end up getting into a HEAP of trouble too...!"

"Hence, _the boys_!" Lily screamed back, managing to send a whole bunch of birds atop a tree flee in mortal peril.

Isabella simply gaped at her, allowing her brain to implode on itself again and again at the genius that Lily was.

"I know! I can't believe I'm saying this too..." she grudgingly added, before Isabella could even open her mouth to comment. "We're going to do the right thing the wrong way, but it's the only way," she said, speaking more to herself as if she herself needed convincing. "And without the boys, well, we'd most likely be pulling our blankets up and punching _ourselves_ in the face!" she added bitterly, making Isabella burst out laughing.

"I must say, I'm rather proud of you, Lil!" Isabella said, wiping her laugh eyes whilst giving her a tight side squeeze.

"Oh, look! It's Dewy!" Lily said looking up at the sky and watching a beautiful brown Tawny owl soaring straight towards them, carrying a long parcel.

As soon as Dewy landed on Lily's hand, Isabella wrenched the Daily Prophet off her leg and propped open the paper while Lily scratched the back of Dewy's ears.

The two of them froze at the headline.

'LONDON ATTACKED, A NEW DARK LORD ANNOUNCES HIS ARRIVAL'

Isabella quickly scanned through the article.

' _...biggest mass muggle murder in the history of Magic... unidentified wizard who calls himself Lord Voldemort terrorized a peaceful street in the West End of London around quarter to nine last night... hundreds dead... Muggle London still gripped by the green skull hanging above the location... terror descends on the Magical and Muggle communities alike as London seethes under His open warning..._ '

Isabella looked up from the paper, her mind fully made up now.

"You know, if we get a move on right away, we might actually be able to bag the cat in time?" she said through gritted teeth.

" _And_ before the company even arrives!" Lily nodded nervously. "Let's go!" she grabbed hold of Isabella's hand and the two of them shot off towards the castle.

...

The school was buzzing now as early-bird students had trickled down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Isabella could not believe it was still only half past eight in the morning, because it felt like she'd been awake for almost a _whole day_ now.

Hurtling past groggy students as if on a mission, Isabella quickly realised that the school still hadn't heard the news from last night—neither about the mass murders nor about the smuggling job—or they wouldn't all be this cheerful. And just as they were about to cross the Entrance Hall and take the stairs back up to the upper floors, Isabella saw a bunch of teachers pushing out of the Great Hall, looking grimmer than ever and speaking in quick, hushed voices.

She immediately held Lily back by her hand and pressed herself against the wall as the group of teachers frantically made their way up the stairs in the Entrance Hall.

"Most unusual..." Elfbough, their DADA teacher, muttered to Abolet.

"Oh, I agree," Abolet whispered back, seeming jittery than ever. "It's nothing like anything I have come across in all my years of experience in Divination... Are you sure, though, that Binns said they belonged to the _Sacred Age_?"

Isabella's ears perked up immediately at the mention of those words.

" _Oh, for the love of Herpo the Foul's smelly socks,_ _I'M POSITIVE_!" Sprout whisper-growled, as if she was tired of answering this question over and over again.

" _Most UNUSUAL..._!" Elfbough repeated, shaking her head, as the company trudged on. "Can you believe that when I woke up today, I was among those who'd believed that the Sacred Age didn't actually exist, that it was all some demented wizard's figment of _imagination_!"

"You were a fool to think that!" Sprout rasped.

"Well, can you _blame_ me? There wasn't a shred of evidence to prove that the Hadens had existed until _this morning_!"

Isabella looked quizzically at Lily. ' _Hadens_?' she mouthed, to which Lily responded with a helpless shrug.

"Well, it still numbs me cold at the thought that this boy may have, indeed, FINALLY broken the Wall in History...!" said Abolet.

"Oh, let's not get carried away now…" hissed Flitwick. "What boggles _me_ the most, though, is _how_ did he get his hands on these ancient pieces of Magic... And in _whose_ possession were they before they reached him... Who ordered him to get hold of these and _what_ they'd planned to do with them..." he visibly shivered as he spoke.

"You think it has something to do with Lord Voldemort?" Abolet whispered, seemingly terrified.

"I don't even doubt it," Flitwick faced her grimly, his voice trailing off as they turned a corner and disappeared out of sight, shrouding the girls in silence once more.

A shiver ran up Isabella's spine as the story of The Cursed Pair replayed in her mind.

If Flitwick was right, Voldemort was after something that belonged to that particular time-period, but _WHY_? _What_ could possibly he want these objects _for_ …? It was more than evident that he was using a gullible young lad to do the job in order to keep this mission as low-key as possible, making it that much more apparent that he is desperately planning something... Question was, 'what?'

"Lily..."

"I know," she merely nodded, looking equally blown away. "No time though, let's go," she said and the two of them bolted up the stairs two at a time.

Isabella didn't register anything from that second on as they raced back up to their tower, her mind frantically trying to piece all the information together. The only thing she remembered was that the two of them had somehow reached the landing of the boys' dorms that seemed, uncharacteristically, peaceful and quiet.

And even as they raced towards the fifth-year dorm, her legs automatically hit the breaks on their own as a new issue, of a _whole_ other flavour, waited for her beyond those wooden doors—one that would have her chewing on her left cheek whilst her stomach did a little jiggle of itself.

Lily, on the other hand, was a bit more helpful, though. Without even the slightest bit of courtesy, she rapped sharply on the door once, before throwing it open only to receive several terrified yelps from the dorms' unfortunate occupants. Seemingly unperturbed, she bolted inside and started throwing out instructions at the terror-stricken lads, while Isabella stood stalk-still on the spot, not moving a muscle.

And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't deny those mesmerising grey eyes from flashing through her mind, making her stomach do multiple somersaults at the same time...

Blushing furiously, she wrapped her hands around herself while Lily did her magic.

"...and we need to work as a team! _D'you hear me_?" Lily was yelling to an unconcerned, almost nonexistent bunch of boys.

" _Go away_!" Frank seemed to be moaning from under his pillow.

"And DON'T LOOK THIS WAY! I'm not _WEARING_ anything!" Isabella heard Sirius whimpering helplessly—and her knees nearly gave away…

"Trust me, Black, I too will regret that decision of yours for the rest of my life!" Lily nodded, looking so disgusted, it made Isabella want to burst out laughing.

Sirius snorted. "Shame... McKinnon would've paid MUCH GOLD for _exactly_ this!" Isabella heard him call back cheekily. Funnily enough, she could literally visualise him pointing at his own body, sporting a stupid grin.

" _Staub-beein-so-loud_ , err'wun!" groaned Peter, who was closest to the door.

"Yeah, James, _control your woman_!" Sirius called to an unusually quiet James.

"Shut up, Black! And no time for all that, Pete!" she squawked and tore the curtains open, throwing the boys at the mercy of the blinding white morning light.

"Bloody hell, Evans. What's this about?" Sirius slurred from inside and suddenly, everything went quiet. Tapping her feet impatiently, Isabella leaned in a bit to see what was going on inside.

For just a split second, she saw Lily go all blank in the face, before determination replaced it once again. "It's about your brother. He's in trouble. BIG trouble... And we need to save him before it's too late…!" she replied stiffly while the boys gaped at her, alarmed at the very least. "But, no time to explain everything! We need to get a move on _NOW_!" she clapped her hands, managing to jolt everyone awake. "I'll tell you the rest as we go!"

They didn't need any more goading.

Everyone was up in a flash, shrugging on whatever they could lay their hands on and wasting no time.

Everyone, except Sirius.

Before Isabella could even PREPARE herself for what was coming, Sirius had walked out wearing nothing but his white sheets wrapped around his waist! Going by the heat that was emanating from her face, she knew she was going magenta-red from the neck up as her eyes (working on its own accord for the most part) scanned his slim build and his hypnotizingly toned abs. And before she knew it she was coughing and choking to death!

In contrast, however, Sirius seemed completely unperturbed upon seeing her.

"Oh, hey..." he muttered, hardly breathing but staring achingly at her at the same time. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, okay, relax there!" he laughed and held up his hands in defense, watching the tears streaming down her petrified face. When she finally caught her breath, his laugh turned into a fond grin. "Didn't know you were here too..." he whispered awkwardly, towering above her and still being glaringly naked.

Still coughing and still VERY red in the face, she finally managed to sputter out a, "Black! Put on something, for _Merlin's sake_! _ANYTHING_!" she gasped, making him chuckle even more.

"Aw, don't worry, sugar quill, I won't bite!" he laughed cheekily and inched dangerously close to her.

"Go _away_!" she said, nudging him backwards.

The butterflies weren't just in her stomach now— _they were everywhere_!

"Oi. Wus' the matter? You okay?" he grinned, running a finger along the side of her face, and momentarily getting lost in her large, hazel orbs.

"Sirius! Quit playing, _time's running out_!" she croaked, amazed that she'd indeed managed to get _words_ out of her mouth.

"OI!" Lily's voice suddenly rang out through the door. "Get dressed. NOW!" she said, dragging him back into the room by his hand, and in he went, still laughing.

…

This was high-profile and the situation was getting out of hand sooner than one could spell trouble. Important-looking Ministry officials were already flooding into the castle, followed by a bunch of Daily Prophet journalists, Magical Historians, members from the Statute of Secrecy Task Force, Portkey Officers, International Magical Law Officers, Aurors, goblins, members of the Wizengamot _and_ the Minister herself, greeted courteously by the school's staff at the Entrance Hall— _all for a little sloppily executed rule-breaking event_!

It gets worse.

By the time the boys had thrown something on and got out of their tower, an announcement had been made asking all students to remain INSIDE their Houses, that their Hogsmeade trip for the day had been cancelled and that, until further notice, the Great Hall was OFF LIMITS to all students, no exceptions.

A flurry of chaos had broken out immediately after as everyone started to wonder what had happened all of a sudden. The teachers had made sure word about the smuggled goods and the Vanishing Cabinet were kept tightly under the wraps, so Isabella could imagine everyone's surprise when their first burst into freedom after _weeks_ of torture had been scrapped without any explanation.

"Blimey..." said James as they watched scores and scores of people thronging the Great Hall, an air of agitation and subdued excitement hanging about them all. "What did Regulus _do_?" he turned towards Isabella, who was crouched next to him under the Invisibility Cloak along with Sirius and Lily (Frank and Claiborne decided to stay back and watch over a recovering Remus and Peter was sent to do 'other' things while the rest went and did some snooping of their own).

"We'll find out soon…" she nodded in Dumbledore's direction who was seen descending the stairs and greeting the band of guests, albeit looking less than pleased to see them all.

"Where _is_ Regulus?" Sirius growled in Isabella's ears.

"Dunno, Slughorn's office?" she offered with a shrug.

"Welcome, welcome, members of the Ministry and the Magical Community," Dumbledore's voice rang out making them turn towards him.

A murmur of greeting resounded from the large group of people stationed and waiting at the foot of the stairs in the Entrance Hall as they watched the rest of the school's teachers join their Headmaster behind him. The mood in the room seemed to have changed immediately, going from frantic craze to being glassy calm.

"A series of unfortunate events, no matter the weight of the misdeed, have brought us all together today and, in a very short while, the question that is in everyone's mind will be answered."

A group of journalists was frantically taking down notes in one corner, and for some reason, Hagrid seemed a bit stressed and uncomfortable in their presence. It was strange to see how such a big person could have such a small persona about them.

"And, by the end of this day, we will all know if we've finally been able to break the Wall in History after all," said Bagnold, seemingly a lot more curt than the last time Isabella had seen them together. "Also, I hope, as discussed, the details of this morning and the nature of the objects smuggled in have been kept _strictly confidential_?" she asked coldly.

" _O' course_!" Hagrid boomed immediately from the foot of the stairs. "Us Hogwarts staff take these, er, 'things'… _very seriously_!" he added, with a slight wave of his fist. "Made sure no un'— _not one student_ —heard abou' it, yer can be sure o' that!"

Lily shot Isabella a guilty look while McGonagall was glaring daggers in Hagrid's direction, her lips thin as ever.

"Why, thank you, Hagrid," Dumbledore smiled, staring curiously at him, before quickly scanning the tightly packed room, his eyes falling in their direction once or twice. "As for the rest of you," he continued, "if you will all follow me in here, we shall start the conference right away," he smiled and led the party into the Great Hall, that had been transformed into a large conference room with a wide, circular table sitting in the centre lined by thirty or more chairs along its circumference.

"Barmy morning, eh?" Alatar Cobblepot, a wizened-looking old wizard, casually chuckled to Dumbledore as they trudged in. And by his demeanour, it was clear that he and Dumbledore were great friends. "What d'you reckon, Albus? Truth or farce?" he asked, smiling good-naturedly.

"Too early to comment, I must say, Alatar," came Dumbledore's kind response as they passed the four fifth-years huddled under the Invisibility Cloak next to the Great Hall's entrance.

The four of them tip-toed and followed right after him.

"And between you and me, at the moment at least, I am more concerned about the well-being of the boy than about the possibility of ' _breaking the Wall_ '," Dumbledore admitted in a low voice.

"Oh, fear not, my friend!" Cobblepot chuckled comfortingly. "I'm pretty sure the poor boy was simply looking for _playthings_ that eerily resemble the ancient antiquities, that's brought about all this hubbub. I, for one, don't personally believe any of those is a _Portkey_ that would transport one to the hidden kingdoms of the Sacred Age, _it's preposterous_!" he chuckled silently, as the rest of the party took their seats around the table. "Also, as a high member of the Wizard's Council, I will personally ensure that the boy does not get reprimanded if his misdeed _was_ , indeed, a mere travesty!"

The four children exchanged glances, while Dumbledore smiled, his twinkling all of a sudden, as if he'd suddenly been struck by an idea.

"And if it were up to _me_ ," he said with a slight smile, and Isabella's skin prickled with goosebumps when he leaned away from Cobblepot and closer to exactly where _they_ stood, "I'd make sure they really _were_ playthings and not Dark Objects," he paused and looked straight at them—and the four of them nearly collapsed in panic.

James coiled his hand around Isabella's for support, while Sirius and Lily simply froze in place as the Headmaster continued to hold their gaze. And the longer he looked directly at them, the tighter their circle got, as they cowered and held on to each other even more.

Dumbledore's eyes glinted delightfully in the morning light. "If only the walls had ears…" he added.

It was more than clear by now that he was not speaking to Cobblepot anymore.

"Right, then!" Bagnold clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention, "if everyone's settled in, we shall get this conference started off right away," she said crisply ("Are you sure this place to safe to discuss such matters?" asked a grumpy-looking old witch to a tiny goblin next to her. "This is Hogwarts," he responded gruffly. "Someone's _always_ listening to you," he whispered, looking around warily at the still Great Hall while Lily slapped a hand to her mouth to keep herself from whimpering in panic). "Albus, might you address your guests?"

Isabella narrowed her eyes while Sirius and James gaped at her at the fact that the Minister was giving _Dumbledore_ permission to speak. _In. His. Own. School…_

Nevertheless, Dumbledore seemed as unperturbed by it as ever and graciously nodded in her direction.

"Thank you, Millicent," he stood up and straightened up to his full height till he towered above her and everyone else seated around him—and whether intentionally or not, it did a LOT to put her back in her place.

"Welcome again, everyone, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," he smiled, the sunlight shimmering on his beard. "It is with a heavy heart that I contacted the Board members early this morning with the report on the smuggled-in objects by an underage student, following the advise of my colleagues," he nodded in McGonagall and Sprout's direction, who looked proud and guilty at the same time. "As they very rightly pointed out, it is not in the best interest of students if, as Headmaster, I failed to follow protocol and intimate the Board on the Dark nature of the obj—"

"— _it is not in the best interest of ALL Wizard-kind too, withholding said information_!" Bagnold slammed her hand on the table and glared daggers in Dumbledore's direction. "It's not a 'Hogwarts' matter, it's a ' _Magical_ ' matter of very high importance!"

"—absolutely!"

"— _we have a right to know_!"

"—this is about OUR past!"

A ruckus broke out immediately, as the members of the Council either slammed or supported Dumbledore's initial decision to keep this matter 'in-house'.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" yelled McGonagall, getting up to her feet herself and sending a sudden hush around all of them. "What's happened here is unfortunate, but we believe this may have something to do with a new Dark Lord on the rise _and_ his obsession with the Sacred Age, which was _the only reason_ why we thought it imperative to involve the _Ministry_!" she said, her voice resounding across the hall.

"Okay, this looks like it's going to take a while," James impatiently whispered to Isabella under the cloak.

"But we still don't know what we need to _do_ ," Sirius whispered from her other side.

"Minerva is right," said Dumbledore, still completely unfazed by the outburst. "I believe the Dark Lord ordered Regulus Black from House Slytherin to retrieve a set of objects that may or not belong to the Sacred Age, that may or may not, _indeed_ , be Portkeys that transports one to the Four Hidden Kingdoms so that he may find and possess the last of the Founders' heirlooms…"

An ominous, almost terrified silence followed that.

"Now, we may not know exactly _what_ he intends to do with the heirlooms, nor if the objects really _are_ Portkeys, but his intentions are well pronounced."

"If I may, Headmaster," Flitwick interjected and everyone turned around in his direction. "Where did Mr. Black find these artifacts?" he squeaked.

Dumbledore stared grimly through his half-moon glasses. "Last I checked, it was safe and in the possession of the fabled One-Eyed Witch… And in my personal opinion," he said, turning slightly to his right and in _their_ direction, "one needs to get going _now_ if one were to succeed at all..."

James's face broke into a smile immediately as he nodded at Dumbledore, even though he knew they were completely invisible.

The hall erupted once more with questions and slammings while the four of them quietly slithered out.


	17. The Hidden Kingdoms

**P.S.** For those who were wondering, 'Caedesmort' is pronounced ' _See_ - _Days_ - _Maurt_ ' :)

 ** _Raven That Flies At Night:_** Your review made me so happy :) Thanks so much for sticking with this story...

 **Star Chaser 17: The Hidden Kingdoms**

 _Unedited..._

* * *

The four of them sped down the long corridor like maniacs with Isabella nursing a rather painful stitch on her side.

"Okay, HOLD YOUR HORSES. _Everyone_!" Lily yelled and grabbed Isabella by the hand to stop her from running amok.

Without even waiting for the boys, Lily quickly pulled out a long piece of parchment and her Self-Refilling Quill. "Okay, let's recount everything we know! _Start talking, Iz_!" she practically screamed, scribbling frantically on the parchment as the boys skidded to a halt beside them.

Isabella racked her mind, taken aback quite a bit for suddenly coming under the spotlight. "Okay, okay! Er... We know that the... The Founders belonged to the Sacred Age—?" she started.

"— _Correct_!" Lily exclaimed, "and that we know NOTHING about it, because—"

"—there isn't a single book written about the time!" said Sirius.

"Yes! Because, Mávros Slytherin was the foulest, most HATED wizard _the world ever saw_!" growled Lily, her quill now punching holes in the parchment. " _What else_?" she demanded.

"The Founders hail from one of the Four Hidden Kingdoms—!" James offered.

"—Woldorin, Caedesmort, Armindale, and _Elvedoria_!" Isabella counted on her fingers.

"Excellent! And?" Lily looked up.

"And Regulus smuggled in stuff that are rumoured to be Portkeys that would transport us to these kingdoms!" said Sirius.

"And what are we supposed to _do_ there?"

" _Find the last of the Founders' HEIRLOOMS_!" Isabella screamed so loudly, Sirius, albeit grinning teasingly, literally had to wrap his hand around her face to shut her up!

"Very good!" Lily yelled, sounding nearly as deranged as her best friend too. "So, that makes it four heirlooms for four founders!" she cried, scribbling manically.

"One question, though!" Isabella mumbled from behind Sirius's large hand. Wrenching free from under his death grip (and shaking off the butterflies that had hijacked her entire body), she said, "Who the hell are the Hadens?"

" _I_ know!" spoke a new voice, making them all jump up in fear.

Isabella whipped around to find Peter miraculously appear out of thin air behind them! Surreptitiously pocketing what looked like a very thick piece of parchment, Peter jogged towards them looking red in the face and completely out of breath. Isabella scrunched her eyebrows together: if he'd been running, she would've heard him for _sure_ and yet she _hadn't_...

"I know who the Hadens are!" Peter wheezed again.

"Good Godric, _Peter_!" James exclaimed happily.

Sirius gasped. " _THERE you are_!" he grinned, putting his hand out for Peter to smack it in greeting.

Lily blinked and looked from one to another.

"Where did you _COME_ from?!" she almost shouted, FULLY under adrenaline pump now.

"The library!" he heaved and bent double to catch his breath. "Did some... Reading..." he said, coughing between breaths while leaning on to Sirius for support.

"Well, go on, then! Tell us what you know!" James added anxiously.

"Well, yes, of course!" he said, finally straightening up. "This is what Moony had been working on for _weeks_ now," he said and rolled out a large parchment that housed a crudely drawn map and tons and tons of notes scribbled on in neat handwriting. "Alright, so... From what I understand," he mumbled to himself whilst studying the parchment for a little while, "oh yeah, Moony thought the story you told us all of the Mávrodian Era, Izzy, had far too many potholes, like it was missing several important details that we would need to know before we land our feet in the Hidden Kingdoms," he started and everyone nodded eagerly.

"So, if you look here," he said pointing at the map, "you'll realise that Ceadesmort is located along the coast of the Aegean Sea, which means they were mostly sea-people spending all of their time in bewitched ships while Armindale and Elvedoria were located in _this_ region," he said, running his finger on the region slightly north-west of Caedesmort, "in the Woods. _Woldorin_ , however, was the farthest kingdom of all, located in the high mountains!" he said, placing his finger on the far north and exactly opposite to Caedesmort.

"And after poring over Moon's notes and other texts, it is clearer now as to _why_ the four kingdoms were even at war with each other—!" he said and held his breath feverishly. Grinning triumphantly at Sirius, he added, "You're going to love this one, Pads—they were after... a _STONE_!" he finally exclaimed.

Sirius and Isabella gasped, their eyes flying open in revelation.

"The _STONE_!" they screamed in unison before staring at each other in awe.

" _Exactly_!" a very red Peter nodded, continuing on with his story. "Now, Izzy, you read about Wizard Everard and learnt that Irvette was his sister, but what you did _not_ know was that he had three _more_ sisters. And their maiden names were, wait for it," he said, pausing dramatically, brimming with inconceivable excitement, "Aglæca Malvolia _Haden_ , Leonora Alleria _Haden_ , Ebonee Danelle _Haden_ , and _Irvette Aerwyna HADEN_!" he bellowed and clicked his fingers charismatically while Isabella's hand flew to her mouth.

"The _HADENS_! So, _they_ were the Hadens?" she squealed, struck with wonderment.

"YES!" he grinned, his eyes twinkling delightfully with glee. "The four Haden sisters were born of royal blood and were married off into each of the four massive and wealthy factions or kingdoms or _dominions_ or whatever it is that they were called back in the day (but let's just stick to 'kingdoms' for now). Initially, the four kingdoms would simply battle with each other from time to time to establish supremacy over the other. _However_ , things got extremely serious when suddenly one day, someone let slip the news of the infamous _'Haden Heirloom'_. The heirloom was believed to be a magical stone which would make one _immortal_... Naturally, the husbands of these four sisters got hungry for power and that's how, a war among the four kingdoms eventually broke out!"

A shocked silence followed that long speech as everyone tried to wrap their heads over the enormity of it all.

"So, THAT'S what happened..." James started, running his finger through his messy locks. "That's why they were _perennially_ at war..."

"And THAT'S why everyone's so bloody interested in this shit!" Sirius said, echoing his tone. " _That's_ why the Ministry is here today! Everyone wants to know what happened with the Stone and everyone WANTS IT!"

" _Exactly_! And that's why Bagnold slammed Dumbledore for even _considering_ the prospect of keeping this _in-house_!" exclaimed a very shaken Lily.

"This is unbelievable!" exclaimed James.

"Hold it, mate, there's more!" said Peter, holding out his finger and getting all of their attention one more time. "Remember the tale of the One-Eyed Witch?" he asked.

"Uh huh! Yes! _Yes, we do_!" exclaimed Isabella, her heart hammering in her chest as the tension built up.

"Well, from what I could gather, the fabled One-Eyed Witch behind Hogwarts might actually be real, because records say that the rumoured Portkeys were last seen in the possession of a witch who fits the description _PERFECTLY_!"

" _Merlin's beard_! That means—"

"— _Yes_ , Pads!" Peter laughed loudly, nodding vigorously and almost on the verge of tears now. "That old hag you saw Regulus talking to last month _might be HER_!" he squeaked.

A collective gasp went up in the air as everyone broiled in mind-numbing revelation!

"Wicked..." said James, his hand now permanently plastered over his mouth while the others . "You're a bloody GENIUS, Pete!" he finally exclaimed, and laughed out loud before throwing his hand him and shaking him up good while Peter grinned sheepishly.

"And all thanks to Moon-Moon and his notes!" laughed Sirius, thumping Peter appreciatively on the back. "It'd be a shame, though, if he died on us today, the poor lad!" he guffawed, making James double up even more with laughter.

"SHUT UP, _Sirius_ , that's your best friend you're talking about!" Lily half-chided, half-laughed.

" _So_?" he sniggered, most insensitively, making the girls roll their eyes.

"Alright, time's running out. Let's get moving!" Isabella smacked her hands together. "Off to Filch's, right?"

"Right!" James said and threw the Invisibility Cloak over Lily and Isabella's head when suddenly Peter smacked his head, "Ah, bloody hell, I almost forgot!"

"What's the matter?" asked James, pausing mid-way.

"We're dealing with _Filch_!" Peter spat out grudgingly and spoke specifically to James and Sirius.

Lily frowned. " _So_?" she asked, while James and Sirius muttered, "OH!" as if they'd suddenly been hit by yet another crisis of sorts.

"So, only _he_ can distract him," said Sirius, grinning for full measure at the scorn on Peter's face. "Go on, then, Worm! Do your thing, we'll be right behind you!" he said, smacking him encouragingly while the girls blinked.

Isabella and Lily exchanged confused looks.

"Why? What— _HOW_?!" Isabella stuttered, really annoyed by these games now.

Sirius burst out laughing even more while James grinned on arrogantly. " _Move it_ , Sugar Lips!" he said, ushering her into the Invisibility Cloak most teasingly.

...

The four of them were huddled together under the cloak at the end of the corridor that led to Room 234-00.

"How much longer?!" Lily rasped impatiently, making Sirius and James go, " _Shhhhh_!"

" _Patience_ , Grumpy!" Sirius hissed into her face and turned his head back to the corridor, waiting for _Merlin-knew-what_!

And then it happened.

Meowing and growling its guts off as if prepared to burn the whole castle down to ash, a rust-coloured cat appeared around the corner, hurtling after a large rat running amok down the corridor and straight towards them.

"There he is! Any second now!" James hissed happily into Isabella's ears as they watched the death-crazed look in the bulging, yellow, lamp-like eyes of Mr. Belphegor, a most hateful cat of the WORST kind, chasing after the terrified little rat. The cat hissed and meowed loudly, every now and then swiping its paw menacingly at the poor rat making it squeal and scream in fright, plunging the whole corridor into bedlam!

"Oh, NOT THIS AGAIN!" came someone's muffled, irritated voice, followed by the sound of a door bursting open on the right. "Ah, _YOU FILTHY LITTLE RAT_! Leave him alone, LEAVE HIM _ALONE_!" bellowed an indignant Filch and hesitated for a moment, internally battling between rescuing his precious cat and staying behind to guard his precious office.

After a moment of deliberating on the problem, however, Filch seemed to have chosen his cat over everything else, because Isabella saw him slam his door shut, lock it with a very heavy padlock, test the strength of the said padlock before hurtling after the chasing duo.

"I am going to KILL you tonight, you _FILTHY BEAST_!" they heard him scream as he went hurtling down the corridor and as far away from his office as possible.

"Okay, this is it!" hissed James, checking if the corridor is entirely rid of Filch. "We need to get a move on THIS INSTANT, let's go, let's go, let's go!" he whisper-yelled, and the four of them darted forwards when, suddenly, a MUCH bigger problem manifested itself in front of them—Slytherins...

Giggling and whispering in hushed voices, a whole bunch of snarky heads, _at least seven of them_ , peeked from behind gargoyles and statues at the opposite end, as if they'd been hoping Filch would leave his office unattended for just a while too!

Panic descended on the four of them under the cloak, as they watched the bunch of clods stealthily come out of hiding and inch closer to the door of Room 234-00.

James practically slapped his own forehead in frustration while Sirius looked like his head would explode any second now.

" _NOW_ what?!" Sirius whisper-growled at the rest of them, as if hoping they'd suddenly spring up with brilliant ideas, while the Slytherins continued to scheme in the background.

" _Careful_ , Goyle!" they heard Lucius hiss from behind a suit of armour stationed closest to the door.

Harley Goyle immediately darted back into his hiding place and so did the rest of them.

"Oh my god, they're getting closer! Think of something, people! _ANYTHING_!" Lily snarled under her breath as the situation steadily moved from bad to worse!

"Okay, everyone, don't move till I give you the GO sign!" they heard Lucius whisper-yell excitedly to his nosy friends. "Need to check the lock first!" he leered, signing with his hands for the benefit of those who were much farther away from him.

" _What the hell do we do_?" whined a panic-stricken James.

Sirius suddenly gasped.

"I've an idea!" he said, making them all jump up in fright. "YOU!" he said, pointing at Isabella. " _Go talk to him_!"

" _WHAT_?!" Isabella mouthed, horrified and eyeing him like he'd finally lost all the screws in his head.

"Just go talk to him! Distract him till we slip in, you IDIOT!" he whisper-yelled.

" _NO WAY_! NO _BLOODY_ WAY!" she protested. "I won't do it! Sirius, I'm not joking! _Let me go_!" she whispered-barked, struggling to get out of his death grip.

"It's the _only_ way, Izzy!"

" _NO WAY_! Sirius, please! I don't want to! You can't _MAKE ME_ —!" she hissed but before she could even FINISH her sentence, he had shoved her forwards and out of the Invisibility Cloak for the whole world to see!

Alarmed at the very least, she froze in place as Lucius's eyes fell on her.

All hell broke loose that instant, because he was looking at her like he'd seen a ghost and she was looking much, MUCH worse!

" _Bella_?!" he squeaked and quickly scanned the corridor to check if his dense friends hadn't yet compromised their hiding spots. Combing his hair nervously and almost shaking on the spot, he turned back to look at the ghost-white face of Isabella.

"Wh—What? You... Lu— _Lucius_!" she hiccoughed, following it with a fake grin. "Wh—Er..." she said, scratching her head most clumsily and sweating more than ever.

"Erm..." he stammered too, quite taken aback. "What are you... Doing... _Here_?" he said, nervously looking over his shoulder one more time.

"Well, I..." she said, racking her brains for words—ANY WORDS. "I came here... Er..."

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Well I... I was... I was looking... For _you_!" she finally said.

Lucius frowned. "Looking for _me_?" he asked, scoffing nervously. "Why on earth were you...? Er... Okay, er... Well, here I _am_!" he stuttered, coughing and forcing a grin and sounding ridiculously nervous.

Isabella fake-laughed along too, still trying to come up with a plan.

"So er... What is it?" he asked, finally shaking himself awake and getting fully under spell. "Something happen? You look distressed," he said, inching closer to her.

Isabella, though, could nearly feel the tension growing in the space with agitated clicking of tongues, tapping feet and exasperated sighs resounding all around her and that was coming from both the Gryffindors _and_ the Slytherins. And the longer she stood there, the more anxious Lucius got.

Quickly steeling another look back at the where her friends were waiting impatiently, she turned back to Lucius, hardly breathing at all now!

"Bella?!" Lucius called out, making her crash-land back to earth. " _What_?!" he asked, suddenly getting suspicious. "D'you mind telling me what's going _ON_?" he yelled.

"Er... I dunno how to... Er... Lucius, I..."

"YES, Bella! What _is it_?" he asked, almost imaging the worst by now.

"Lucius..."

"Just tell me!"

She said it like a slap to a face.

"Sirius kissed me!" she yelled.

Time stopped.

"WHAT?!" he yelled, his eyes bulging out of his skull.

" _WHAT_?!" James and Lily whisper-yelled, their heads swiveling towards a shocked Sirius inside the cloak.

Sirius simply stared dumbfounded. "Oh, shit," he whispered, unable to come to terms with what he was witnessing.

" _When_?" Lucius simply asked.

"Today! Er... A couple of hours ago!" Isabella blurted and surreptitiously started to lead him away from the door.

"Merlin, she's actually going with that _..._ " Sirius breathed, and literally had to hold on to James so as to not collapse, while James and Lily simply gaped at him from the side with their mouths hanging open.

"I, I, I... I don't quite know what to do, Lue, I need your help!" she stuttered and put one hand behind her back and started barking out instructions to her friends.

"Well, beats me! I don't know what to do _either_!" Lucius growled, roughly running his hand through his silky blond locks.

"HEY!"

Rabastan Lestrange emerged from behind a large stone gargoyle several feet away. "We didn't come here to see you stick your tongue down her throat, ya know?" he growled

Almost as if the rest of them couldn't agree more, several more heads appeared all around them and it was instant pandemonium!

Isabella frantically looked around to see ANY signs of _her_ friends in all this madness!

"Yeah! Ditch the Mudblood and get a move on, already!" yelled Ted Farley said, stepping out and putting his hands on his hips even as Albert Crabbe dragged his massive weight out of the tiny space behind his winged gargoyle.

"What?! No, no, no! What is this?!" she blurted out, wildly scanning her vicinity, as more people trickled out and closed the gap between them.

"Yeah, you know what? I'm just going in!" called out Harley and nudged Lucius roughly to side to get to the door.

Horrified beyond words, Isabella suddenly screamed, "JAMES! _DO SOMETHING_!"

Almost as if the heavens had heard her, a hand suddenly stuck out of nowhere and squirted a rather nasty jinx at Goyle, hurling him high up in the air and down the other end of the hall!

Panic broke out instantly!

The Slytherins drew out their wands too and Lucius still looked scandalised to say the least. Before anyone could even wrap their heads around what was going on, Sirius and James had jumped out of the cloak and started throwing random curses and jinxes and charms and spreading the party out while Lily frantically worked on the lock!

" _What the hell are these scums doing here_?!" Adrian Pellert called out, wrestling with James while Isabella sent Harley howling down with a nasty nosebleed.

"Precisely what I wanted to ask _you_!" Lucius growled at Isabella whilst blocking a hex from Sirius.

"Lily, the LOCK!" James screamed.

"I'm WORKING ON IT!" she howled back.

"I'm sorry, Lucius!" yelled Isabella while continuously throwing curses out to keep the snakes at bay.

"GET THEM, LADS!" bellowed Rabastan and conjured a brilliant Shield Charm that blocked out all spells from the Gryffindors!

"Lily, _they're coming_!" Sirius yelped even as the three of them watched the boys hurtling towards them like a predator charging its prey!

" ** _IT'S OPEN_**!" she screamed and grabbed the back of Isabella and Sirius's sweaters before dragging them backwards.

James jumped in front of them and attacked the company as fiercely as possible whilst running towards the door himself. And just when Isabella thought things couldn't get any worse, she saw the distant silhouette of Filch followed by the rat and the cat running hysterically towards them once again!

"Don't let them get away!" bellowed Albert Crabbe just as Isabella and Sirius and James stepped into the room. Albert put his hand out to reach for the door's handle but Sirius and James expertly jumped behind the door and put their full body's force onto the wood and slammed it shut on his face!

The last thing Isabella heard was the fierce growl of a cat, the slurpy bark of Filch and a scream of rat before her eyes got shrouded in darkness.

Her heart was pounding in her chest as she scrambled up to her feet even as several hands banged against the door, trying to wrench it open.

"Everyone gather around QUICKLY!" screamed Lily, casting a rather odd locking charm on the door that ensured the door was sealed shut for good measure.

"I might've DIED today!" wailed Peter, making Isabella nearly faint in surprise.

" _Peter_?!" she screamed, but the boys seemed completely unperturbed.

"You were FANTASTIC today, Pete!" said James, thumping him hard on the back and managing to grin mischievously despite the soup they were all in.

"Okay, everyone, on the count of three!" yelled Lily, as she magicked the Wigentree, the miniaature chess board and the dagger into her bag and held her hand above the ship-in-a-bottle piece.

All the boys gathered around her and put their hands out too like she did.

The banging on the door had gotten much worse by now.

"One..."

Isabella heard the splintering of the hinges on the door.

"Two..."

One more bang and the door would blast open!

"THREE!"

"I'VE GOT YOU!" screamed Filch as the door burst open.

All five hands slammed against the cool glass bottle at once and almost instantly it happened—Isabella felt a massive tug on her front as she and the rest of her friends jerked forwards uncontrollably. And even as they hurtled further and faster away from Filch's office, Isabella could still see him bolting towards them with his hands outstretched, as if ready to devour them alive!

The five of them sped forwards in the wake of howling winds and swirling colours and all of a sudden, it felt as though the glass beneath her hand suddenly slipped of her grip and that the five of them were being squeezed into a very tight tube. On and on they went, this time flying straight towards the ground from a great height.

"Gurglin' Gargoyles! _Look_ , _there_!" she heard Sirius yell from her right.

Fighting against the strong wind, she turned her head around and the view took her breath away: howling and churning right in front her eyes was a great big ocean on it and braving the terrible waves was the hint of a massive, green, old-fashioned ghost-ship, of three masts and five sails each... And the five of them were hurtling straight towards it!

"Izzy, I'm scared!" Lily screamed from her left, her face marred with mortal peril.

On and on they went, falling like a brick towards the sea and just when she thought they were all going to crash and die against the solid wood, they started to slow down and almost float towards the raging ship like a feather caught in breeze.

Braving the instantaneous kick of nausea that engulfed her, Isabella felt her feet slam against the ground, the smell of the sea taking over her nostrils entirely; Lily bumped into her from behind, followed by James, Sirius and a very sick Peter.

Roaring and howling in the wind, the ship sailed on, cutting through the thrashing waves, and as quickly as she found her footing, she was thrown off her feet as the ship rocked unexpectedly. Scrambling back to her feet, she looked around for her friends only to find James and Sirius standing stalk-still and staring at something in her far left with their mouths hanging open.

"Blimey..." muttered Peter, as he got up to his feet too in slow motion, and looking in the same direction as James was.

Twirling her around, Isabella felt her breath hitch in her throat at the sight that awaited her: there, standing tall on one of the highest mountain peaks, several thousand feet above the valley below, in an island far, far away, was the massive and most ancient castle of Caedesmort... The castle itself was an eerie white structure now marred by overgrowth and algae. It was a cluster of seven seven slim, white towers bunched tightly together to form one of the oddest castles Isabella had ever set her eyes on...

"So, the heirloom is in there?" asked Isabella.

"No," said Sirius, stepping next to her. "This ship is unmanned…"

"So?" asked Lily.

"Every time a capital comes under attack from neighbouring kingdoms, it was common practice in ancient times to stow away all of the castle's treasure in a ship and enchant it to guard the coast and the treasure until the caster of the spell himself returns to reverse it… And since this ship is magicked to rage on in this fashion right off the coast of the Caedesmortan kingdom, it only means the heirloom is somewhere here, in this ship."

"What if the caster of the spell never returned?" asked Peter.

"The ship would simply sail on forever till the end of time, guarding its contents in the fiercest way possible," he shrugged, matter-of-factly.

"Are you telling me we need to fight this ship now?" asked Isabella, too exasperated to even freak out.

Sirius simply smirked. "Makes you wish this day was rather about the kiss now, doesn't it?" he grinned, winking teasingly at her.

"You and I are going to have words, Williams," Lily said icily, as the five of them tiredly watched the sun shining down on them.


	18. At World's End

**A/N: To new Faves and Follows:** I love you all! :)

 _Raven that flies at night:_ I hope you like this one :)

Love. Fiction. 2019: This one's for you!

* * *

 **Chapter 18: At World's End**

 _Unedited..._

* * *

It felt like the end of the world.

Like Death itself…

Like Death had chosen this very island _to_ be its home. And _this_ ship to be its messenger… A ship of the most haunted kind with rotting wood and slime and overgrowth, tearing through the rough waters off the bay of a ghost island. A city that was once alive and thrived on the labour of many willing hands that built the great castle and ruled these shores that was now, a mere shadow—a forgotten memory shrouded in darkness…

Caedesmort.

This was Caedesmort, now a barren island with a never-ending stretch of dead, unoccupied shoreline, leaving behind a scene of complete and utter desolation. Sloops and other vessels were anchored all along the coastline, some still flying the death's head flag, the same flag that was flapping above her head on this cursed ship. The wind carried the sickening smell of putrefying flesh from across the harbor, as if the carcasses of a thousand animals were rotting somewhere on the shore.

Isabella didn't see one bird, not one tiny movement, not ONE sign of life for as far as the eye could see… Where have they all plunged into? _Is this place even real, or is it all in happening her head_ …?

A sudden whoosh brought her back to her senses. The easterly winds were growing stronger and wilder now, slamming into the ship and making it rock more violently than ever, almost as if an invisible hand had turned up the intensity upon their arrival… Fear gripped her heart as the ship lurched and swung from side to side, almost throwing its inhabitants off the ship whilst tearing through the waters, a terrible wind howling in their ears.

Another rock and this time, Isabella entirely lost all balance.

Falling flat on her back, she felt herself land on something extremely greasy and slimy, almost as if it were made of a giant slice of rotting casserole! Repulsion took over instantly as she slipped and skidded even more trying to get back up to her feet, and just as she found her footing and turned around, horror struck—her face was mere inches away from what looked like a _skull_ that still had bits of decayed flesh sticking all over it!

The scream that emanated from her throat was nothing like ANYTHING she had heard in all her life! Shrieking on top her voice, she found herself fleeing backwards on all fours as quickly as possible, and as far away from it as possible!

"What? WHAT? _WHAT IS IT_?!" she heard Lily scream from the back, but Isabella didn't ( _couldn't!_ ) respond and continued to scream and crawl away in utter and complete dread, unable to even _see_ clearly now.

Before she even knew what was happening, several hands caught hold of her and pulled her up to her feet, gripping her firmly as if assuring her that all was well... Except ALL WAS **_NOT_ **WELL! She opened her eyes and found Peter holding her from either side with Lily crouching behind an equally horror-stricken James, while Sirius was examining the corner that Isabella had been a second ago.

That's when she saw it.

There were dead, and decayed bodies ALL over the ship, at _every_ nook and _every_ corner, woven and melded right into the ship itself! The thick overgrowth she had seen at first really has been the remains of about a hundred or more crewmen ( _or whoever it is they were_ ), squawking and gawking back them in the most terrible way possible!

"My god, what have we GOT ourselves into!" yelled Peter, having gone all white in the face. "What are we supposed to _DO_ here?!"

"What Dumbledore sent us to do," James spluttered feverishly his glasses now an opaque white in colour as it fogged up against the salty air. "It's hitting me now... This is not just about getting Regulus out of trouble, it's much bigger! And I'm ready to bet on my broom that he does not want these heirlooms getting into the hands of the Ministry _and_ the Dark Lord _alike_!"

"We're losing time, then," Sirius muttered and straightened up.

" _And_ our senses…!" cried Peter, looking incredulously between his friends. "Lads, this is _dangerous_...!"

But neither James nor Sirius were paying any attention to him anymore. Sirius had ripped Remus's notes out of Peter's pocket and the two of them were already poring over it. "Okay, so it's just like the Whomping Willow," Sirius noted breathily. "The ship comes alive the minute someone lays hands on the helm because turning it in the right combination alone would open the vault within. I just need to follow the instructions Moon's written down here..." he said, pointing at the parchment.

"And it's in the heart of this ship," James said, looking up and getting everyone's attention. "Slytherin's heirloom, I mean," he said, even as rest of them drew out their wands, a mingled expression of fear and determination hanging in their faces—all except Peter, who was mutely shaking his head at his two best friends in utter disbelief.

"You can't be _serious_!" he said, looking unforgivingly at them.

"Merlin's beard, you think _I_ want to be here?" said Sirius. "You think I woke up today and thought, ' _hey, won't it be terrific if we all pissed around a homicidal island and GET KILLED in the worst way possible_ '?!"

"I'm just saying Dumbly is off his _rocker_ , sending us here!"

Sirius and James and exchanged exasperated looks.

"It just means he trusts us more than anyone else," James muttered. "Come on, Pete, we can't do this without you…"

Peter gaped. "James, what if something were to _happen_ to one of them?" he asked, pointing at the girls.

" _Nothing's_ going to happen," Lily said before James could say anything. "We'll take care of each other," she breathed, almost close to tears now.

James closed his mouth and looked triumphantly at Peter. "You hear that?" he asked, smiling at him. "And we've have been through far worse, this is _nothing_."

"Also, I'm positive I didn't DIE the last couple of times we broke the rules wholly 'cause of _you_ ," Sirius smiled tiredly at him. "Come on, for Regulus, if not for me."

Peter graced with him an unsure look, before sighing in defeat. " _Alright_ ," he shrugged resignedly, his face still etched with worry. Despite his reluctance, though, he still went on to say, "Wherever you two are."

"Good!" smiled Sirius, before nodding at the others. "Alright, positions, everyone," he muttered, getting down to business immediately. Getting behind the uncontrollably spinning wheel, he waited for the others to gather around amidships and get into positions.

Fear and dread slowly started to sink into Isabella as she got ready for whatever it was that was in store for them in the next couple of minutes, even as a terrible storm started swirling above them.

"Oh god, here we go," Lily whispered, sliding her hand into Isabella's.

A crack of thunder suddenly rumbled above them, striking her straight in the gut.

"Okay, lads, get ready in three..." Sirius muttered, his hands hovering above the wheel.

Isabella's breaths became shorter and shorter by the second, even as the clouds burst open over them.

"Two..."

The waves were crashing into the ship more violently than ever now.

" _One_!" he screamed and launched himself on the helm. The others tightened their grips on their wands as Sirius whirled the wheel with all his might, until the first lock dial clicked loudly.

Almost at once, an eerie green light burst out from the helm and spread out far and wide in the blink of an eye.

Isabella was almost panting now as she suddenly felt her surroundings loosen up and get mouldy, almost as if everything around them was coming alive, awakened from a sleep that had lasted a thousand years... The sound of wood creaking and chains dragging from several levels below them filled the air, resounding over and above the noise of the deadly waves. The air around them had gone still, and Isabella felt a sinister, almost evil presence creeping up on them. This ship wasn't just here to protect its treasure—it was assigned to kill _anyone_ aboard...

The four of them in the centre, moved closer and closer in fear, facing their backs to each other as a darkness descended upon them.

And then, out of nowhere, several eyes opened at once—ALL AROUND THEM! There were eyes everywhere... To their right, to their left, at the bottom, on the masts, on the stairs— _EVERYWHERE_!

" _Lichs_..." whispered Lily, her voice shaking uncontrollably with terror now.

Cracking and breaking away from the hard wood emerged several heads, some just skulls, some still bearing some hair, some entirely unfathomable pieces of just a bunch of bones sticking together! The dead were awakening and they were coming for them... And almost as if this was a synchronised swimming competition, all the heads turned towards the bunch of teenagers at the same time and in the same speed, conveying one message: murder.

Isabella whirled around and looked up at Sirius's white face who was also surveying the army of the undead breaking away and finally breaking free from their confines of the ship as the guardians of its treasure. And before she even turned back around, she knew someone was standing right in front of her, their hand outstretched!

Without even opening her eyes, she cried, " _Petrificus Totalus_!" with her wand aimed vaguely at the image she had seen in her peripheral vision. A blast and a scream later, she found her attacker freeze in place before getting blasted to bits, its skull still alive and throbbing! She had just enough time to grace the writhing skull a horrified look before she realised they were surrounded.

In the blink of an eye all hell broke loose as an army of lichs pounced at them from every direction, clashing against spells that blasted out of four VERY powerful wands, all at once! Screaming and howling in the most unearthly way possible, the sightless and daunting remains of dead wizards jumped and grabbed at the five of them only to get blasted into nothingness.

"SIRIUS, LOOK OUT!" yelled James and threw a curse in his direction, squarely hitting a lich that had crept up behind him, knocking its head right off. To Isabella's complete horror, though, the lich rose back up to its feet, now headless and seeming even more fearful than ever!

"Oh my god, _what are they_?!" Sirius screamed, lashing at it again and again and never seeing the end of its life!

"They're lichs!" screamed Lily. "They're creatures created using very powerful necromancy to bind one's soul to their intellect or "phylactery"..."

"Lily! _LILY_! English, please!" Isabella screamed frustratedly.

"They're wizards who've been made immortal! _In death_!" she screamed, making everyone stop for just a second to exchange looks of horror before going back to blasting their enemies.

"Oh my god, DIE! _Just DIE_!" yelled a horror-struck Sirius and slashed at the lich again and again before it finally shattered entirely.

But, the more lichs they killed, more and more seemed to break off from their corners and inch closer to the bunch of petrified teenagers. For the next several minutes, all Isabella ever heard over and above the terrible sheet of rain that slammed into them were the screams of spells and curses ricocheting in every direction, each helping the other out in one way or the other.

"Aqua Eructo!"

"Reducto! _Diffindo_!"

"Incendio!"

"Petrificus Totalus!"

"Arresto MOMENTUM!"

"Impedimenta! IMPEDIMENTA!"

" _INCARCEROUS_! Sirius, HURRY UP, MATE!" wailed Peter, as he ducked and ran behind the stairs that led to the upper deck where Sirius stood.

" _Everyone SPREAD OUT_!" screamed Isabella as she ran towards the porch side. "Make them come after you so they'd leave Sirius alone!" she said, slashing two lichs at one go.

The storm was howling louder around them, and the sea wilder than ever as the ship crashed on through the gale.

" _Augmenti!_ " screamed Lily from the other side of the mast, even as a lich jumped up on Isabella from the back and wrapped its hands around her neck! She instinctively reached for her throat and tried to wrench the cold, dead hands off her while another one crept up from below knocked the wand off her hand before gripping her legs. The rain hammering down on her face only seemed to make matters even worse! Fear and panic seared through her like hot water as she saw her wand hit the wood below and roll over to the other side.

"Lily! LILY!" she screamed, while jumping and flailing on the spot to get them off of her even as ghostly screams of the undead engulfed her.

" _LILY_!" she yelled even louder when help didn't come. She felt her air supply get cut off entirely, making her face turn blue. Blood pulsed through her eyes as the dead hands tightened its grip slowly and steadily.

"OH MY GOD, _LILY_!" she heard someone scream out on top of their voice, followed by a whole lot running, scrambling and screeches of spells hitting odd bodies before they fell thud to the floor!

Unfortunately, though, Isabella herself was on the brink of dying if someone didn't get to her quickly enough. "She's fine! Go get Izzy!" yelled someone else.

" _REDUCTOOO_!" someone yelled, and she felt her attacker burst to splinters behind her, finally knocking the wind behind back in her throat. Coughing violently and rubbing her aching neck, she looked up through watery eyes to find James blast her second attacker in the blink of an eye and run straight towards her.

"You alright?!" he panted, reaching her in seconds.

"I'm fine! How's Lily?!" she asked.

" _Not dead_!" he barked back frustratedly. "I mean, how the BLOODY hell did she think an ' _Augmenti_ ' was going to do the trick, eh?"

" _Augmenti_? Wh— _WHY_...?"

"Well, she didn't want to _harm_ these 'wizards _,_ ' THAT'S WHY!" yelled a murderous James. "She's MENTAL, that one!"

Shaking her incredulously, Isabella sprinted to the other side of the mast to find Peter guarding Lily who was bleeding profusely from the neck. "Oh my god, WHAT'S HAPPENED TO YOU?!" screamed Isabella even as she and James attacked a bunch of dead men closing in on them—basically their plan had worked. The farther they went, the more of them came scuttling after them, leaving very few to tackle with for Sirius, who was still struggling to get the combination right.

"She got bit!" spluttered Peter, braving the thrashing rain and fighting off non-stop.

"YOU GOT _BIT_?!" screamed Isabella, and almost resisted the urge to scold her. " _IS THERE AN ANTIDOTE IN YOUR BAG?!_ " she screamed manically.

"No, nothing!" Lily croaked, unable to even open her eyes properly now. Isabella's head was all of exploding now as she envisioned the poison gushing through her veins.

"Iz, throw a healing charm at her! And pray that she doesn't DIE before we leave here!" James growled bitterly.

"Okay, okay, I'm ON IT!" screamed Isabella and quickly dropped down to her knees. Bringing Lily's head on to her lap, she pointed her wand at her throat where the bite marks were visible and quickly chanted an incantation under her breath. A white wisp-like smoke appeared out of her wand and swirled around Lily's throat, burning and frothing at her skin as it went. Begging and praying and shaking all over in mind-numbing fear, she pushed on, continuing to mutter the incantation until, finally, the open gashed closed up and Lily gave a strained yelp before coughing her lungs out.

"Oh, thank Merlin!" screamed Isabella and wrapped her hands tightly around a Lily's very blue face. James gave them a quick sidelong glance, and almost burst to tears before smacking down another dead wizard down.

"Lily, are you alright?!" sobbed Isabella.

Still coughing and rubbing the side of her neck as if the Charm burned her very flesh, she nodded weakly and looked up.

"Izzy, find a way to send her back. Now!" yelled James.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Lily yelled back idiotically. "I'm staying, I can fight!"

"NO, YOU CAN'T!" howled back Isabella. "You need to get treated right away, Lil, don't be stu—"

"I'M STAYING!" she screamed and when she saw the murderous glare on Isabella's face she added, "As in, not _here_ , obviously! I can't fight them... They might be trying to kill us, but they really were just a bunch of well-meaning poor sods who..." Lily sobbed, making Isabella want to practically hex her in the face. "I know, _I suck_!" she cried out even as egotistical tears streamed down her face.

"But..."

"No, you listen to me," she said, cutting her short. "Time's running out and someone needs to speed things up, anyway, right? So, I'll go on to the next kingdom, somewhere I can be of actual _help_! But while I'm there, doing whatever it is that I need to do, you lot need to FINISH it up here and JOIN ME IN ARMINDALE! _What. So. EVER_!" she said, fiercely. "ALL OF YOU, ALL FOUR OF YOU! No one gets left behind, _YOU HEAR ME_ , _JAMES_?!" she screamed at James's back.

A still shaken James, turned his head just a little to his side and grudgingly nodded before going back to screaming out curses. "And contain your stupidity just a little bit, over there, yeah?" James called out over his shoulder. " _Please_?" he added sarcastically to which she merely rolled her eyes.

Isabella quickly jumped back to her feet and took her position next to James and Peter while Lily rummaged into her purse and magicked the chess board out of it. With the board and the pieces still swirling about in midair, she gave Isabella a slight nod before slamming her hand on the hard, wooden board.

Almost at once she got sucked into thin air, her image swirling out of recognition in a whip of colour. But, before the swirling mush disappeared entirely, something flew out of it and landed next Isabella's feet. She looked down and found tiny wooden bishop piece roll back and forth on the wooden floor, waiting to take the rest of them out of this hell hole.

"How're we doing, Sirius?" yelled Peter from down below, even as three or four lichs rounded up on them like sea of locusts!

"Almost there, lads!" came the strained voice of Sirius, who was knocking them backwards and forwards with every turn of the wheel.

"Mate, you're killing us!" yelped James, as the army of the undead grew stronger and larger in number.

For just a split second, time stopped as Isabella surveyed the army of corpses walking towards them, leering and snarling viciously. That's when she saw it, saw what Lily saw in them: they really were just a bunch of unfortunate sorcerers retaining just a semblance of life despite having their bodies reduced to mere shrivelled husks by an evil necromancer. They were nothing but helpless people trapped in the middle forever…

She snapped back to reality just as quickly as she heard the boys thrashing at them with all their might!

"Incendio! INCENDIO!" screamed the three of them, trying to throw them off as much as possible, but it was not enough. Isabella's brain was on fire now as it envisioned all the possible worst-case scenarios, making her grow more desperate with every breath.

And just when she thought all was lost, that this was how she was going to meet her end, however, an explosion loud enough to blast her eardrums erupted, hurling them backwards.

Bodies of hundreds of lichs got thrown up in the air as well, splattering them all with their decayed remains, making them brace themselves from getting hit by their flesh and muck.

"It's open, lads!" screamed Sirius. "The chest, IT'S OPEN!"

Isabella opened her eyes and got her breath knocked right out her lungs: there, right in the centre of the ship, was a gaping hole the shape of a massive eye with a single green light blasting out from its very core.

"Peter, quick, before the vault closes back up!" screamed Sirius, holding on to the wheel with all his might. One tiny slip and the vault get slammed shut again.

"ON IT!" yelled Peter and that's when Isabella saw it, making her heart jump right into her mouth.

Peter leaped high into the air and even as he started to land back on his feet, his body had started to shrink, growing tiny hairs that seemed to get longer and thicker. The thicker his hair got, the smaller his body got! His face had started to contort unto itself, changing shapes most weirdly before it solidified in the shape of a rat! And before she knew it, a large, brown rat leaped high in the air, jumped and scampered over broken wood pieces at the speed of light before it reached the eye of Slytherin's vault.

The ship was already started to close back and Sirius's hands had turned a deep shade of red from all the effort. One more second and either his hand would break off or the helm itself would roll off its hinges!

"Hurry up, Pete!" yelled James even as the rat grabbed the large green locket up in its mouth and turned at lightning speed towards them.

"I cannot hold any longer, Wormy!" howled Sirius and even before the words had left his mouth, the wheel snapped out of his grip and started rolling uncontrollably in the opposite direction.

The wide gaping hole in the middle slowly began to close back up as the wooden pieces started falling back into their original places, to lock the vault once and for all before the next adventurer came a-seeking.

"Peter, HURRY UP!" screamed Isabella as the wooden pieces laid themselves almost entirely over the crypt. And just when the last piece was about to take its place, Peter scuttled up and neatly leaped out just in time!

Everyone blew a sigh of relief as the rat came scampering back towards them, the emerald locket hanging securely in its mouth. All the lichs seemed to have dropped to the ground too, slowly melting and merging with the ship once more, never to be awakened again... Hopefully.

And just like that, the storm started to blow itself out and the weather slowly cleared up. The violent waves that were crashing into the ship even up until a second ago started to decrease in size until it became completely still.

And now, all they could hear was the gentle breeze blowing through their wet faces and the dead waves licking away at the walls of this forgotten ship.

Isabella sank to her knees in exhaustion while the boys all looked at each other, a sense of admiration etched in their faces.

"Nicely done, Pads," James smiled.

Sirius smiled. "Say that to Wormy," he replied instead, gushing with pride at his best friend.

At that very instant, the tiny wooden bishop piece that Lily had thrown at her a while ago rolled back towards Isabella, waiting.

"To Armindale, then," she said and looked towards Sirius.

~oOo~

The four of them got spat out of the invisible bubble they had got squeezed into a second ago, their surroundings spinning into view around them.

Gulping in lungfulls of air, Isabella forced open her streaming eyes, and took in the view in front of her. And for several moments, she felt very confused about where she was or what she was looking at...

At first it appeared as though they were lying on the stone floors of an ancient castle that seemed eerily regular, except everything was _wrong_ about it: The floor wasn't a 'floor' anymore five feet away from where she sat, because it was suddenly the ceiling of another space to which a stairway descended upon. To her right, she a tunnel leading into the black depths to Merlin-knew-where, and to her left, she saw a vast sheet of water standing tall without dripping a drop of water on the floor she was sat in! And when she looked up, her breath hitched in her throat because it was nothing like ANYTHING she had ever seen before!

There were at least a dozen more staircases sprouting surreally in all directions distorting space and logic ENTIRELY! They had been plunged into a world that defied all the universally-accepted laws of gravity, because the castle featured impossible constructions and multiple vanishing points that could possibly never exist spread across at least six different gravity wells! Basically, they were in the centre of a structure where windows led to outdoor parks standing upside-down, where chandeliers hung side-ways, where staircases ran straight into a wall, where water bodies could stand tall and where an entire castle could be built upside-down, enough to drive _anyone_ mental in a matter of seconds!

"Castle of Illusions," James muttered, gaping at the structure and sounding equally dumbstruck. "This was the reason why no one could penetrate the walls of Armindale... They went crazy simply trying to _find_ their way about," he said.

Sirius graced him with the most bewildered, if not slightly disappointed, look he could possibly muster.

"What? My bed's closest to Moony's!" James guffawed.

Sirius shook his head even more in mock disillusionment. "Mate, I will KILL you if I lose the bet to Moon!" he said, sporting a death-glare at James despite the smile on his face.

Isabella blinked. " _What bet_?" she asked, sounding exhausted and appalled at the fact that her two idiot friends could even think of something else at a time like this!

Peter rolled his eyes. "Remus took Sirius up on a bet in second year stating he'd make James a civil _human being_ by the time we graduate," he said, sounding just disgusted as Isabella was feeling at the moment.

"And what happens if Remus wins?" she asked before she could stop herself.

Sirius's eyes widened in terror even as James scoffed. "Yeah! Like that's ever happening! Like I'm ever letting my best friend, nay, _my BROTHER_ , lose a bet!" he grinned, stupidly jumping on Sirius and wrapping his hands around shoulder in the most feral fashion.

There was just one problem, though: Sirius still looked utterly unconvinced, and scared even, at James's proclamations.

"Seriously, what happens if Remus wins the bet?" Isabella pressed on. To be frank, she herself didn't understand why wanted to know this so badly.

Peter deadpanned at her. "You don't wanna..." he simply said. "You'd lose the will to _live_ , Iz!"

She squinted at him. "Try me."

Peter smirked at his two best friends who had sunk into a full-blown argument now and said, "If Remus wins the bet, he gets to jinx Sirius right in the balls three times! As hard as he can. The best part, though, is that he can dole them out _whenever he pleases_!" he said and burst out laughing.

Isabella, however, wished she hadn't... _Oh, how she wished!_

Still simmering in shock and still unsure if she had heard him right, she said, "I could literally have lived my whole life having never known this fact. _Literally_!"

Peter merely shrugged. "Can't say I didn't warn you!"

Looking up, she let her thoughts wander to the castle one more time. How were they going to find Lily in here and how were going to get out? Will they ever leave this place...?


	19. The Lost Diadem

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait.

 **Love-Fiction-2019:** Hope you like this one :)

* * *

 **Chapter 19: The Lost Diadem**

 _Unedited..._

* * *

"Okay, someone else come up with any brilliant ideas, yet?!" barked Isabella, panting and wheezing and almost dissolving into tears now. And what's worse, the boys weren't doing any better, either, because the teens would have spent at least an hour in this place and yet, didn't seem to have ' _gone_ ' anywhere at all!

Her legs felt numb and worn out as it plodded on and on in this never-ending maze of a castle with all of its mind-bending illusions. The Magic of it all was so great that no matter how many stairs they took, whichever way they turned, they never seemed to move an INCH off of _where they stood_! And to make matters worse, the mirrors that hung in every wall and every corner around them only threw them into a deeper state of delusion, enough to drive anyone _crazy_.

Frustration and desperation were all that they were left with now as they trudged on and on to no _BLOODY_ avail!

"I mean!" started Sirius, sounding about ready to pull all his hair out now. James and Isabella immediately exchanged glances of horror as they watched Sirius have yet another one of his iconic meltdowns. "We fought them bloody lichs... _most valiantly_ —"

"Good Godric, make him stop—" mumbled a frustrated James.

"—almost DIED in that _piss-ridden_ ship—"

"— _hooow_?" Isabella sobbed in James's direction.

"—almost broke BOTH my arms trying to hold that stupid wheel, _found the damned locket_ —"

"— _would punching him in the face help?!_ " Peter hysterically suggested.

"—only to end up locked away in this... this... bottomless... cock-spewing... _SNAKE PIT_?"

Isabella eyebrows knitted in disbelief. "Did he just say ' _cock-spewing_ '?" she asked before she could stop herself.

James shrugged lifelessly. "Yeah, reckon his filter's wearing off... In his defense, though, this is the longest we've been around a girl and there's only so many hours we can go without swearing!" he smirked.

Sirius, meanwhile, continued to baboon around in the back, as if the flood gates to some of his choicest vocabulary had finally burst open. "Bollocks! _Pool. Of. FUCK_! Gone to cock! It's all _gone to COCK_!" he kicked at the air and pinched the bridge of his nose in the most dramatic fashion ever.

James, Peter and Isabella simply stared back at his animated profile, if not slightly amused at how much of a drama queen Sirius actually was. Nobody even had the energy to tell him off because, frankly, this was the most frustrated they had ever been in their whole life! And even as Isabella acknowledged that fact, her stomach growled ravenously. _How could she think about food at a time like this?!_

"I can't walk anymore!" she sat down in front of the mirror that had mysteriously kept appearing on their left no matter how far they walked _away_ from it. "We're stuck. _Properly stuck_! We're never getting out of here, _are we_?" she cried, her voice barely above a whisper as she eyed the eerie setup of this ancient castle. Everywhere she turned, all she ever saw was the blackness of death because, she was confident no path EVER would lead its traveller in the right direction, only to trap them in forever...

"I want Moony!" bawled Sirius, collapsing next to Isabella too and sulking in the most annoying way possible. "We're complete tosspots without our Moon, aren't we?! I am going back!"

"What? NO!" Peter and James yelled at the same time.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. " _No?!_ " he challenged them confidently.

"Yes, NO, you lazy sod! _Get up_!" said Peter through gritted teeth and dragging Sirius up to his feet by his collar. "YOU dragged me into this mess against my will, but now that I'm here, I'm _finishing_ what we started! We're not leaving without those rotten heirlooms, _not_ _on my watch_!" he said bossily and wagged a dangerous finger at Sirius's face. "And we're not leaving this place without _Lily_!" he added reassuringly to James.

Sirius scoffed. "No, Peter, YOU are not leaving this place without her. I, fortunately, _do not care enough about Grump_ y nor am I in _'LOVE'_ with her to make such idiotic promises!" Sirius spluttered back pettishly.

"Honestly, Pads?" James asked.

" _Most certainly_! Besides, serves her right for every time she refused to do my homework!" he added with a flinch. Isabella had to do everything in her power to not roll her eyes at the over-sized baby, but before she could even blink, Sirius had grabbed her by the hand. "So long and haffun in this shit hole, then! I'll see you two arse-fucks on the other side. C'mon on, Iz!" he said, tugging her up to her feet too.

Peter surveyed them for a second before his eyebrows suddenly disappeared into his hair. " _You just want to go back to SNOGGING Williams, don't you_?!" he gasped, gaping widely in disbelief.

Sirius merely cocked an arrogant eyebrow. "Yeah, I'd be jealous too, if I were you," he shot out. And this time, Isabella did roll her eyes, long and wide.

She waved off Peter's shock immediately. "Oh, for _blinking heck's sake_ , Pete, like I'm ever leaving with this _goose_!" Isabella muttered.

Sirius gasped and held his chest in mock shock. "Did you just bail on me?"

"You're mad if you think I'd leave without Lily!" Isabella said, shrugging matter-of-factly.

"YOU DID NOT JUST—"

"Pads, shut it!" screamed James, making three heads swivel in his direction. He was breathing heavily, but his eyes were fixated on the mirror in front of him, an odd expression etched across his features. It was almost as if he was having a revelation but was too mind-blown-dumbfounded to form words just yet...

Sirius frowned. "What's happened?" he muttered, his tone shifting immediately from petulant stupidity to wolf-like alertness. "Prongs..." he said, shaking him lightly by his shoulder.

"I... I think I know what's wrong with this place," said finally James, still refusing to take his eyes off the mirror.

Exchanging nervous looks with one another, the other three gathered around him and peered curiously into the beautifully carved marble mirror in front of them. And no matter how hard she looked, all she ever saw was her own reflection, staring back with an expression of gripped fear and anxiety etched across her face... Nothing jaw-dropping or astounding whatsoever came to mind...

"What are we looking at?" she asked, screwing her eyes in concentration till she almost gave herself a nosebleed.

Instead of replying, however, she saw James merely smirk at his own reflection and pocket his hands lazily, as if this world didn't— _not one bit_ —deserve a genius like him.

"Er... Mate, this is when you actually _say_ something?" Sirius offered after what seemed like forever.

James graced him with a slide glance at him, still sporting a look of triumph in his face. "The Claws were geniuses," he began, pushing his glasses up his nose and turning back to the mirror. "And they knew EXACTLY how to play with your mind. They knew their army wasn't as vast as the Slytherins or as great as the Gryffindors, nor as assiduous as the Puffs. But, if they still had to thrive, the only way they could it was by getting into their enemies' minds and messing with it."

Peter blinked wildly from Sirius's other side. "I... Think we already... _Know that_?" he said, speaking very slowly, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

James shot him a playful death-glare. "They bewitched the whole place to form a riddle..." he said, and winked at him. "This castle is all jumbled up and it's up to _us_ to put it back in place to get to our destination," he said.

"And how do we do that?" asked Peter.

"Using these mirrors."

His words almost slapped her awake.

OF COURSE! That's why they weren't getting ANYWHERE, because, without their knowledge, they kept walking in circles, in the same corridor that was reflected off in several different angles and ways across this castle! Dumbfounded beyond words, she gazed dazedly at the hundreds of differently shaped mirrors that hung all around them, each carved beautifully and lavishly in their own way, some gilded, some heavily adorned, some flowery, and still some just plain and simple, but grand nonetheless...

"How did you work that out?!" she asked (practically screamed), beaming in James's direction, who merely shrugged and bit a smile that tugged at the corner of his lips—"I thought like Lily..."

...

Isabella knew a LOT of time had passed by now, because whatever little light trickled in through an odd window here and there was now ruby-red in colour. The sun was setting already and they needed to hurry up—desperately...

The four of them had spent more than an hour frantically trying to analyse the structure of the castle and painstakingly fit the pieces together in their minds. The castle was so high and so jumbled up and held SO MANY MIRRORS that it was practically impossible to choose the right right set of mirrors from across the length and breadth of the walls to understand which four of five would accurately match to form a meaningful structure... The revelation had Isabella nursing a massive headache at the end of it all. And the more she looked at the mirrors, the more she was convinced that they were NEVER going to achieve this... There was NO WAY they were going to accurately solve the puzzle, and that only meant one thing—they were never going to actually return to Hogwarts or the life they had left behind...

Finally, after what seemed to have been forever, James seemed convinced of four mirrors in odd locations across the castle to be the ones that needed to face each other for their destination. Isabella was supremely unconvinced, but James's odd certainty made her trust him blindly—there was that look in his eyes that screamed confidence and no one, not even Dumbledore, would contest James's opinion every time this particular look hung about his eyes.

"Okay, positions everyone," James muttered feverishly, standing in front of a silver mirror at the lowest level.

Isabella was at a level several stories higher than James and exactly perpendicular to him. Sirius and Peter were at the very top, one standing upside-down and the other seemingly inside-out! And if James's calculations were right, all four of them had to move at the same time and at the SAME SPEED to successfully lock their mirrors in the precisest of positions for a coherent path to eventually open up. There was absolutely NO room for error whatsoever, because the tiniest of slips could send the whole place into a whole new jumble altogether and there was NO WAY they could work it all out from scratch all over again.

"Precision is key," James muttered once again. "It'd be _disastrous_ if one of us got anxious and moved wrongly, you hear me?" he called out authoritatively, only to receive an impatient sigh from Sirius. "I'm not joking, Pads, I'd be especially livid if you _lads_ muck around!"

"Don't tempt me to kick you in the nuts," Sirius called out, goading him to get down to business already.

"On my count then!" called James, gripping the side of his mirror as tightly as possible. Isabella saw Sirius and Peter visibly stiffen in their spots. Sweating profusely and almost losing all sensation in her hands, Isabella looked herself in the eye and geared up for the task—she wasn't going to let her friends down, not now...

"On the count of three!" James wheezed.

Almost trembling on the spot, Isabella gingerly took the large, extremely heavy mirror in her hands.

"One..."

"Easy!" called out Sirius from above. Isabella's breaths were coming out in short rags now and she was almost asthmatic. And even as she stood there stalk-like, on high alert waiting for James, she heard Sirius once again. "Izzy, you alright down there?"

An odd warmth washed over her when she heard that, instantly transporting her back several hours ago earlier today when his lips had been on hers—she quickly shook the image off her mind. "I am!" she called back.

"Good girl," he said, smiling broadly. "Now help me get us out of here, babe..." he added cheekily.

Isabella rolled her eyes exasperatedly, but she was smiling nevertheless.

" _Two_..." said James, a bit more sternly now, as if beckoning Sirius to come back to Earth.

James and Isabella exchanged glances. "THREE!" he cried.

Almost at once a loud creaking resounded all around them as everyone started moving their mirrors in the pre-discussed directions. It was almost like clockwork as four mirrors, held by four young teens, turned around at the same time and in the same speed, prompting a cascade of change to the castle around them.

It took Isabella's breath away, when she realised the mirrors was causing the whole space to move around in the most jaw-dropping way possible! Almost as if four different building blocks were turning and moving around in perfect sync to fall into their correct slots and form a meaningful structure, the mirrors in each of their hand helped move entire sections of the castle.

And in all her panic, the one thing that kept her slow and steady was Sirius's constant chants from above. "Easy... Easy... _Easy_... Almost there... Nice and slow everyone..." he wheezed and it was evident from his voice that the mirror in his hand was particularly heavy.

Isabella's hands had turned a ghostly white now and was shaking uncontrollably from the weight of her large mirror too.

"Nice and slow... That's it... Keep at it, everyone..."

Excitement levels were at an all-time high now as the four different blocks continued to move in perfect sync and find each other in the accurate slots. "Almost there! Almost there! _Slow and steady, company_!" roared Sirius.

"Any second now!" screamed James

 _BANG!_

Before Isabella even knew what was happening a blinding light had stung her eyes followed by a loud clang, enough to rip their ears open! The whole place lit up and all Isabella could ever see for a whole thirty seconds was just white hot light that made her eyes water.

"Did we fix it?" asked Peter from somewhere.

Squinting wildly, she opened her eyes once more and her jaw nearly dropped to the floor!

Despite the illusory palinopsia, she could clearly make out the outlines of three boys standing ahead facing her with a mirror in their hands. But what truly knocked her cold was the fact that everything they had seen for the last several hours had disappeared entirely only to get replaced by a long black, dimly lit corridor with beautiful carvings on the walls from the floor to the ceiling, for as far as the eye could see. And if James's calculations were right, this passage most definitely ought to lead them to Lily and their next heirloom...

"This is the most incredible thing I've ever seen..." James muttered from Isabella's left. Gingerly placing the mirror back in the wall, Isabella looked around and took in the sight once more. This truly was the greatest form of Magic she had ever seen.

"Which way, Prongs?" asked Sirius, surveying the long tunnel-like passage.

James examined the carvings on the walls as did the rest of them. Almost all of the stone carvings depicted—in one form or the other—the solving of a puzzle. But even as Isabella's eyes traced the stick-figure carvings of long-ago, her eyes suddenly fell on something that looked like the face of an ancient queen wearing a spectacular crown, bejeweled and carved most intricately, facing one end of the tunnel. The expression on her eyes oddly seemed to convey a deep meaning that Isabella somehow knew had to do something with regards to their hunt.

"This way, I think," she said, pointing in the direction of the face carving on the wall. "It almost looks like she's watching a game of chess in progress, doesn't it?" she added with an excited smile. "Come on!" she beckoned at them and nervously took off in a run towards the other of the passage, the boys following closely behind.

Their footsteps echoed all around them most eerily, making this mission seem that much more dangerous than it already was! On and on they ran down the long, never-ending passage.

"Are you sure we're heading in the right direction?" wheezed Peter.

Before the others could even respond, the passage took a sudden, sharp turn and a MASSIVE square opening welcomed them, revealing the an _even bigger_ chamber that lay beyond.

Isabella's eyes widened at the sight as they entered the ginormous circular chamber with a colossal glass dome on top that let in a spine-chilling blue light that somehow put them all in a disquieted state. But what nearly brought tears to Isabella's eyes, however, was what lay at the centre of this chamber: a massive, giant-scaled, tri-dimensional chess board that rose from the floor to the ceiling, distributing sixty-four squares onto separate floating platforms in a hierarchy of spatial levels. And somewhere between the middle and the top platforms stood a red-haired girl, stalk-still and holding a focus as that of an eagle, unperturbed and unmoved by their arrival, even as her brain worked at 200 kilometers an hour, mentally assessing and deciphering her next move. She was playing for the White side.

The four teens simply watched her in awe, knowing fully well that they had walked in at the most crucial phase of the game.

At the foot of the board, right next to Isabella, stood Lily's carry-on bag.

"Is this going to take a while?" Peter whispered solemnly.

"It looks like it," James replied, not even bothering to look at him.

Isabella held her breath and watched Lily still contemplating her move when she registered Peter shifting and moving over to her other side. Mutely, he knelt down and picked up Lily's bag. Giving the three of them one look of pure admiration, he drew his wand out and pulled out what looked like a tiny glass container. Isabella was so engrossed in trying to understand where the game was at and whose side was it turning towards that she didn't realise the depth of Peter's actions. With just a split second to spare, Isabella tore her eyes away from the game and swiveled her head towards Peter just in time to see him slam his hand on the Wigentree terrarium case.

Time stopped.

Isabella's eyes widened in shock and opened her mouth to yell his name, but there was only enough time to see him smile and wave at her before getting sucked into a TINY hole with a loud pop!

Horror and panic shot up her spine as she realised what had happened.

"She's in a terrible spot, mate," breathed Sirius, almost feverishly.

"I know..." said James, sounding even more terror-stricken than Sirius. "I mean, the correct line is Bc1, positionally, if Black trades, his defender of the dark squares is gone. The crucial and obvious line is Bd6..."

"Exactly... But if she moves to b4, the follow-up tactics could potentially favour White. And Black can't take on b4..."

"No, Black can't, because then c7 wins material and Black would be losing a LOT..."

James sighed heavily. "The obvious move is b4..." he said, and held his breath. "Come on, Lily..." he whispered to himself. "The follow-up WILL pay off, give up that pawn for free already!"

The two of them had obviously not yet realised what had happened a second ago with Peter, as they watched with bated breath at what Lily had decided.

Leaning on to the giant Bishop piece she was sharing her space with, she opened her mouth and cried, "Pawn to b4!"

The wash of relief that flooded on to the boys' faces was priceless as they watched the giant piece move forward and take its position. Panting and sighing as if they'd run a marathon, the two of them broke into grins and looked towards Isabella only to realise something even more terrible had happened...

"He's gone," she announced and jerked her head towards Lily's bag. "Peter... He's gone to Elvedoria... All alone."

The dread that descended on their faces was beyond words.

...

"HE'S OUT OF HIS MIND!" James whisper-yelled, beside himself with rage. "What was he _THINKING_?!"

"I don't know! He just walked over and disappeared into the damn glass case!" she hissed back, overcome with fear herself. "You think he'll be alright?"

Sirius sighed frustratedly. "Well, I reckon he would considering he's the best among us in Herbology—"

"—That doesn't mean ANYTHING!" growled James even as they heard Lily scream another move in the back. The three of swung around and held their breath one more time. Every move she made felt like a dance between life and death for some reason. A second later, however, the boys must have thought it was a brilliant move because they relaxed immediately. "Peter's an idiot," James declared.

"You bet he is. Merlin's beard, I hope he comes back in one piece!" Sirius said, shuddering a little.

The three of them had spent yet another hour oscillating between panicking for Lily and panicking for Peter every now and then. Isabella was tired. She wanted this whole thing to be over and return to her soft bed already. This was NOT something a bunch of fifteen-year-old's should be concerned with, not one bit.

"James, look," Sirius suddenly said, nudging him in the ribs, watching the Black make its move. "Oh my god, d'you think—"

"NO WAY!" James hissed, his eyes the size of tennis balls now. "Merlin's beard, that's it, _this is it_!" he cried, going berserk with joy. "You've done it! Go for it, Lily, GO FOR THE KILL!" he screamed, finally managing to break her focus and turn around to look at them.

It was as if she hadn't even realised she had company in all this time... And not a second after revelation hit, she burst into tears, finally allowing herself to relax and letting go of the control she had kept going for nearly three hours! It broke Isabella's heart to see Lily bawl her eyes out in joy at the sight of her friends that she felt her eyes get misty as well.

"You've done it..." James repeated, gushing with awe and admiration for her. "Queen to f3. Finish it..." he whispered even as another fat tear rolled down her cheek.

Sighing heavily, she turned back to the game and squared her shoulders. Isabella barely heard her when Lily said, "Queen to f3."

Everything from that second felt like a dream as she watched the Queen float up to the topmost slab, with nothing but vengeance in her eyes. It was almost as if that lifeless piece of rock, too, knew that the game had ended, that the Black King had no choice but to give in.

"Checkmate," Lily breathed, as the White Queen edged closer to the Black King. All the other black and white pieces around Lily turned around to face the execution. The three teens watched on from below, and held their breaths, as if they expected to see something grand and out of this world to happen as soon the White Queen destroyed her nemesis.

Much to their surprise, quite the opposite happened: the White Queen simply stepped in front of the Black King and put her hands out instead.

And soon enough, they watched him bow out and make way for the Black Queen who ignored her white counterpart and walked straight towards a terrified Lily. Putting her hands up on her head, she serenely picked up her pristine blue tiara, brought it forwards and placed it in her hand—the lost diadem of Ravenclaw.

...

The four of them were sat on the floor, leaning against the deep blue walls of the massive chamber, too grubby and far too tired to talk or even worry about the other two heirlooms and about Peter. After all that, the four of them simply needed to say nothing and do nothing and simply sit just for a little while.

Lily stared at the tiara and a tiny tear trickled down her eyes once again.

"I hope all this was worth it at the end..." she whispered. "You know... All this trouble _meant_ something at the end of the day... Dumbledore's always about the 'Greater Good'. I hope this was one of those things."

"Nothing's worth it if Peter doesn't return from wherever he's gone to," Sirius replied grimly. "He was foolish and stupendously dense to have taken off like that! I'm never forgiving him if something were to happen to him in there..."

"NOTHING'S going to happen to him, he's _Wormtail_!" James spat out. "He gets out ANY situation, that's why he's the best of the lot! _He's the best Marauder_!" he added bitterly. "We will wait till he comes back, because HE WILL! _He has to_."

"But James, we still have to find Gryffindor's heirloom," said Isabella, almost on the verge of tears herself. "I don't want to sound selfish, but we still need to move forward..." she said, her lips quivering uncontrollably, "...we still need to finish the task. Time's ticking."

"I'm not going anywhere without Peter," James replied curtly. "I will wait here forever if I have to."

"James..."

"No, it's fine," Sirius cut her in. "Izzy is right, we need to find the fourth heirloom too, James, so, why don't you wait here for Peter while the rest of us go to Woldorin? Sound about right?"

James thought over it for a second before nodding slowly in Sirius's direction. "Yeah, we could do that. I will wait here for Wormy."

"I'll wait with you," Lily said almost immediately. "You shouldn't be here all alone, that's... stupidity," she added even as a slight colour rose up her face.

Sirius nodded solemnly and rose to his feet. "Take care of each other, yeah?" he said, pulling James up by his hand and giving him a quick rap on the back. "Also, if it takes us too long..."

"Padfoot—"

"— _Just_ go back to Hogwarts with Peter, we will be RIGHT behind you!"

"I. Leave. With. You," James said firmly. Sirius merely rolled his eyes but gave in; there was no arguing with James for sure.

Taking that as her cue, Isabella levitated the dagger from Lily's bag and held it up in front of her and Sirius. "We'll be back soon," she said, looking at Lily specifically, but in all honesty, she was almost as good as dead by now. And almost as if Sirius read her mind, he mutely grabbed her hand and without even thinking slammed it on the floating dagger and in the blink of an eye, the two of them had got sucked into yet another painful tube and disapparated with a loud _Pop!_

An earth-shattering silence followed their exit, throwing Lily and James into a void that could have smothered a dragon...

The two of them lingered on and watched the space where their friends had stood up until a second ago, whilst fully being aware of the gurgling tension that abounded between them. For Lily, at least, she thought James and her had shared a particularly warm moment right before she had made the final move on the slab several feet above the ground. She vividly remembered their eyes meeting and the mutual feeling of victory, admiration and relief that they had felt for one another in that split second. It had been priceless... Never before had she felt that sort of genuine connection with anyone else other than Isabella until this second, and what made it even more real was the tiny little tear of joy that had rolled down the side of his face when he had cried, ' _Queen to f3. Finish it!_ ' She knew in that moment that she had made a grave error in misjudging him for so many years and the guilt nearly consumed her whole.

Sighing heavily, she fidgeted with her sweater before bravely turning to face him only to find him broiling pettishness that would have earned him a hearty scoff from her old-self.

Fully avoiding eye-contact with her, he swiftly turned around and went back to sulking in his corner by the wall, waiting for Peter, while Lily simply stood there and took in his petulance with a slight shake of her head. She understood him just as much as she DIDN'T understand him. And there was this other problem as well: she didn't quite understand _herself_ about how she felt about him, making it that much worse.

Firmly making up her mind, she took two steps and settled down next to him by the wall, deliberately sitting a lot closer than she would have ever dreamed in all her life—perhaps it was her way of letting him know that she had finally accepted him for who he truly was. James visibly shifted uneasily next to her, apparently more than aware of her proximity to him too.

"Thank you," she muttered, looking straight ahead, but meaning every syllable that formed those two words.

James froze a little and turned his head just a little towards her, seeming mildly confused. She noted how shallow his breaths were and her face automatically turned a deep shade of magenta for some reason. "What for?" she heard him say.

"For being a good friend," she said, still stubbornly looking straight ahead. "We couldn't have done any of this without you..."

He tossed that statement in his head for a second before nodding curtly. "Likewise."

A tensed silence followed that exchange.

"Er... How did you manage to navigate through that mess down there?" James asked quietly and Lily knew immediately that he had been itching to ask her about this for sometime now.

Trying very hard not to smile, she screwed her face up to form a solemn expression and said, "Why, light, of course."

James actually turned around to face her this time. "'Scuse me?"

"You analyse which mirrors are stationed at what angles and shine your light at the right ones for it to reflect off of the others and move the jumbled pieces around, obviously. Why, isn't that how you lot did it too?" she asked, only to find him staring back dumbfoundedly and almost as if he was kicking himself for not thinking of THAT. "You did something else?" she asked, wildly curious now.

"W—yeah, no, that... That was exactly how we did it too, of course! Anyone with _brains_ would know that!" he scoffed, and shrugged arrogantly—except he didn't sound convincing at all...

They fell silent once more.

"Do you know what day today is?" Lily suddenly asked after several minutes.

James paused almost immediately. Without a word, he quickly pulled out his oddly-shaped hour glass with several markings all over it and squinted at the sand level, before his eyes flew open. Stiffening slightly, he kept his eyes trained on his shoes before he spoke again.

"Happy birthday..."


	20. Turning Time

**A/N:** To all new Follows and Faves - thank you so much :)

 ** _PrincessMagic_** : Thank you so much for your review, it made my day :')

 _Unedited..._

* * *

 **Chapter 20: Turning Time**

* * *

The two of them got spat out of an invisible tube and spun out of control before falling face-first on to a dusty floor.

On and on they went, rolling on the stone floor until she felt herself crashing into what felt like black leather and finally coming to a halt.

 _Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick..._

An odd ticking rang in her ears, reminding her of just how desolate the place actually was.

Tired and exhausted, Isabella simply lay there motionless next to Sirius, making no effort to get up or even move. Her every limb hurt, every breath she took in felt like knives stabbing at her lungs. She didn't know where she was, neither did she care.

She was done.

 _No more_ , she thought, mutely taking in the golden hue of a massive dome that arched several feet above them.

 _Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick..._

The odd clicking of a clock resounded louder around her now. She didn't know if she was imagining it or if it was real, but she didn't care...

On her right, she saw Sirius wearily staring at the vast expanse above them too, but his eyes continued to hold a deep sense of determination—a look that said he was willing to go to hell and back over a thousand times more for his brother...

Not before long did Isabella realise the two of them were actually wrapped inside a gigantic but lonely amphitheater, shrouded in silence and a time long, long ago. This was somewhere in Woldorin... Where the ancient Gryffindors had thrived. All the wars fought, all the games lost and won right here in this abandoned arena, all the grand negotiations between Woldorin and Caedesmort and everything else that may have occurred at the time flashed before her eyes almost as if she had witnessed them herself, several thousand years ago. If only she knew this Age better and knew all that had actually happened with the four kingdoms that had led to this very moment in present day.

If only...

 _Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick..._

After what felt like forever, she heard him finally heave a sigh before propping himself up on his hand to face her—and her heart stopped beating entirely. The look of uncertain skepticism etched in his features sent an uncomfortable warmth through her, one that _terrified_ her more than anything... Because, she realised this was the first time they were alone again ever since the kiss...

A moment passed, when neither said anything or moved while she waited on with bated breath. While Sirius seemed to have taken the bull by its horns and looked her straight in the eye, Isabella chose cowardice and avoided his eye, fearing she would drown in her feelings for him all over again...

"What are you thinking?" he muttered, gazing deeply into her eyes, holding meanings and emotions she wasn't ready to accept were actually real; unfortunately, before she even could stop herself, she felt a hot blush crawl up her neck, and spread like wildfire all over her face.

"Oi... You alright?" he smiled, giving her a quick nudge to the side.

Isabella shook off the butterflies and forced herself off the floor too until she was propped up on her elbows, finally allowing herself to look into the unforgiving tease spread across his face. The bloody wanker! "Why, d'you plan to kiss me again if I said no?" she blurted out, making his eyes snap open.

A stunned silence followed that before he burst out laughing!

Grinning broadly down at her, he said, "D'you really want me to answer that?"

Isabella rolled her eyes. Peter was right, Sirius DID want to go back to snogging her, and quite desperately too.

"No, but I do need to know what we have to do here so we can get back to the others. So, chop chop!"

Sirius, though, didn't say anything and stayed put, continuing to hold her gaze like he had a lot to say.

"What? What is it, Sirius?" she asked.

"I've bodged it all up horribly, haven't I?" he said softly. "For the both of us?"

A dense air fell between them, as she watched him staring helplessly down at her, almost as if he was regretting it all...

"Er... Sirius, I'll always be your friend if that's what you're worried about—"

"—Wh...?!" he gasped, choking on the spot, a look of complete shock flashing his eyes. " _AS IF_! Th... Merlin's beard, that is _NOT_ what I meant!" he said crossly, as if he had been rudely slapped awake from a dream. And before long, he was shaking his head, regretting ever having brought about this up. "You know what, my mistake, _I_ should've known better—!"

"—What? Why are you getting so upset all of a sudden?"

"Because, I just realised you're as thick as _Peter_ when it comes to these... _things_!" he muttered before jumping up to his feet. "Thanks for ruining the moment, by the way," he said scathingly whilst dusting himself off irritatedly. "Get up then," he said, putting his hand out for her to take.

She looked at his outstretched hand hesitantly before scowling at him. "Why, forgive my lack of ' _experience_ ' in the field!" she said while allowing him to pull her off the ground.

Horrible move, though, because she suddenly felt him tug at her and pull her deliberately close to him... Almost too close.

She felt her whole body tense and freeze up instantly under his death grip, almost as if he was daring her to do what her heart was screaming at her! Trembling a little, she saw his eyes flicker to her lips and back for just a split second, his pupils dilated to the size of large olives now... Eons of time seemed to pass between them in that one instant when they stood, looking into each others' eyes, hardly ever breathing... There were not enough words in the world to describe what she saw in his eyes, this very instant, whether real or not... And just when she thought time had ceased to exist, she snapped awake when she saw him lean his head towards her out of nowhere.

 _Tick, tick, tick, tick..._

Almost immediately, she put her hand on his chest to stop him from getting any closer, taking him _fully_ by surprise...

"I'm sorry, I can't," she breathed, gaping back at his dumbstruck face.

It took him a moment to shake himself awake and make sense of what she'd said. "Of course," he muttered, feverishly running his hand through his hair. "Reckon I deserve that..."

"No, Sirius, it's just... It doesn't feel right."

"Never mind," he said, distractedly pulling out Remus's notes from his inner pocket. The awkwardness seemed to shake him right at his core while all Isabella could do was freeze on the spot and gape awkardly.

Looking up, he surveyed her constipated stance for a bit and questioningly raised an angry eyebrow. "Are you going to help me out, or what?" he asked scathingly, making her jump a little before hurriedly scuttling next to him. "Whoa, calm down! You don't have to be so _mad_..." she muttered under breath, making him glare even more unforgivingly at her. "Don't get cute!" he retorted.

The two of them quickly put their heads together and read the instructions in Remus's neat handwriting.

' _The gloss of courage be not lost..._

 _For Courage doth in our blood be caught._

 _True heir to the throne..._

 _Be fair and right be known._ '

"What does that mean?" Isabella asked, her eyes automatically falling on to the hundreds of shut wooden doors that lined the walls of the massive arena. And then her eyes fell to the stone floors that they were stood on. Right beneath their feet, at the very centre, were large markings of several concentric circles, spreading outwards from the core. And between each circle, were words carved on stone in an ancient tongue, older even than the Runes, she suspected.

"Look," Sirius said, pointing at the inner most circle that encased something that looked like a device with three more concentric circles made of pure gold with the tiniest hourglass wedged in the middle...

That's when she realised what it was...

"That is a tiny clock! An hourglass clock! Is that the heirloom we were supposed to retrieve?" she asked.

"Could be," he shrugged, his eyebrows knotted together in confusion. "It can't be that simple though. I mean, it's right there, jammed into the stone floor for anyone to just come and take it... Something does not seem right."

"Well, read the clue again, maybe we're missing something..."

"Gloss of courage... in our blood be _caught_...?" Sirius read the phrase over and over under his breath. "...be fair and right be known..." he said and stared at the veins that were popping out of his hands and paused as if he finally understood what it meant... "It takes the victor's blood to claim the treasure..." he spoke at last, making her turn sharply towards him.

"What?"

"The _victor's blood_ should release the clock. But er... But the victor ought to defeat his enemy _fairly_. And with courage..."

"Sirius, it's actually easily pryable, look," she said, pointing at the gap between the smooth gold ring and the stone floor. "Let's just wrench it off the floor and get out here already... Perhaps not every kingdom believes in testing the meddler's patience, you know?" she said, making him smirk a little. Maybe it _was_ that simple?

"Okay, try it," he said, although he still sounded mighty uncertain.

Isabella nodded before sighing nervously and pointing her wand at the floor. " _Baubillious!_ " she screamed and a white, hot light shot out of her wand and slammed into the ground, instantly forming cracks on the stone floor.

 _BANG!_

A deafening sound resounded around them, shaking both of them out of their wits! This was a mistake and it was too late to fix it! The whole place suddenly jerked awake, rumbling and roaring to life, almost if a dragon has been awakened somewhere...

"Merlin's beard, I'm sorry!" shrieked Isabella even as a low roar resounded from a distant, sending an instant chill over them.

Without thinking, Isabella and Sirius drew their wands out, hardly breathing now—the worst was yet to come...

~ **oOo** ~

~oO **_1 hour later..._**

Isabella saw James and Lily look up, startled beyond belief when they heard a loud _CRACK!_ followed by the arrival of their two best friends, looking worn out and gasping for air.

"Sirius! _Isabella_? You two are back already?!" screamed Lily, abandoning a miserable-looking Peter and rushing forwards to meet them. "Oh, Izzy! what's happened to your hand?!" she shrieked even more loudly, grabbing her blood-stained hand up for a closer look.

"Too much to explain now," panted Sirius. "Let's just get out of here. Did Peter get what he was looking for?"

"No!" said Lily, almost close to tears now. "It looks like Hufflepuff's heirloom has already been stolen by someone else! What about you two? Find anything?" she asked, wiping her red face and muttering healing enchantments on Isabella's hand simultaneously.

Isabella paused nervously for a second. "Er... We took something that could _pass off_ as an 'heirloom'?" she huffed, wincing and twitching in pain under Lily's healing enchantments.

"Whatever should that mean?!" bellowed James from next to Peter. It was then that Isabella saw the state of that boy: he was covered from head-to-toe in lemon-sized zits that were puffing and spewing tiny tufts of smoke and puss at the same time, making it almost too painful to watch!

"Later, James, we need to get Peter to the Hospital Wing right away!" said Isabella and beckoned at them to gather around in the middle of the blue, stone chamber. Without another word, James lifted Peter off the ground and rushed forwards while Lily levitated the Wiggentree case out of her bag. "You know the drill!" she said, at once, everyone slammed their hands on the glass case simultaneously. Isabella felt herself get squeezed into a tiny whirlwind once again, speeding forwards whilst bumping into her friends uncontrollably in a howl of wind and swirling color. Within seconds their feet banged against the hard wood of the ghost ship, with Peter still lying lifelessly in James's hands. The sea was still as calm as it had been when they had left this place, several hours ago, but the eeriness that existed despite the tranquility was enough to give Isabella nightmares for the rest of her life.

Peter spluttered and coughed uncontrollably indicating his situation was worsening by the second. "Hurry! Hurry!" James urged, while Isabella fidgeted with Lily's bag to find the final Portkey back. She wrenched the bottle out and within seconds, the group of teenagers were spat back into a dimly-lit, smelly room that eerily resembled the quarters of Argus Filch, Hogwarts's caretaker.

 **31st January, 1976**

The four of them hit the hard floor and tumbled clumsily down to their knees even as the familiar scent of 'home' reached their nostrils. Isabella's eyes filled up instantly... Never before did she realise just how much she loved this place till that second. But before she could even catch her breath—

"—AHA! THERE YOU ARE! _THE BUNCH OF MEDDLERS ARE BACK_!" Filch roared, jumping up from his stool that was stationed right in front of his closed door, as if he had been determined to sit there till the end of time if that was the last thing he would do!

The five of them nearly jumped back in fear and scrambled up their feet, their nerves still jangling... Reality hit, and it hit them hard. Argus Filch was, without question, a BIGGER nightmare than all four Hidden Kingdoms _put together_!

"Oh, no," sobbed Isabella.

"But—But... Professor, we..." spluttered Lily, almost too terrified to even form words now.

"SHUT IT!" he screamed, making them jump out of their skin once more. Fear pulsed through their veins at the sight of Filch's malicious face, making them squeeze into a tight circle and hold on to each other for dear life—this was the most dangerous Filch had ever seemed.

"Oh-ho-ho! TODAY WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE DAY I CAUGHT YOU FILTHY, BLOOD-SUCKING BUNCH OF SLIMY FIFTH-YEARS RED-HANDED! _WITH PROOF!"_ he bellowed, reducing them to a globby mess!

"A-Argus, where's Professor Dumbledore?" James demanded bravely, although Isabella suspected he was secretly crying on the inside. "This was _his_ mission, we had nothing to do w—"

" _SILENCE_!" he screamed, quivering ever so slightly in mad, contained joy. " _I_ will decide what to do next, boy! And I know JUST what to do with you!" he laughed, placing one hand on the doorknob and one eye on the lot of them. "Oh, the trouble you've got yourselves into this time! Quite a stir it's caused, I must say!" he giggled delightedly. "Never before had the Ministry been involved in Hogwarts matters before, and you'd be delighted to know that the Minister is considering _Azkaban_ for you miscreants! I won't be surprised if the lot of you are given the _Kiss_ before the night falls!" he chortled heartlessly making Isabella's bottom fall off entirely!

A whimper escaped Lily's throat and the bunch of teens hugged each other tighter than ever. They were done for properly this time!

"Now, back up against the walls, ALL OF YOU!" Filch bellowed and shakily turned around to face the door, when suddenly—

 _BANG!_

An explosion rumbled around them and entirely _decimated_ Filch's door before sending him flying backwards, indicating just how fragile he really was!

Confusion set in immediately, when the five of them ducked backwards and crawled under Filch's desk to brace themselves from the splinter of wood raining on their faces. "Stay, close! Everyone!" yelled James, as he dragged a now unconscious Peter to safety too.

Isabella didn't know what was happening. All she could see through the smoke and dust were the faint outlines of two burly wizards standing on the other side of the door with their wands raised.

"Wha...? Who...?" spluttered Filch, but his words got drowned instantly by another blast from the shorter of the two cloaked wizards, who blew up more of the rock walls and widened the entrance to the tiny room. Before they knew it, they had stepped in, letting the dull light fall on their faces to reveal two extremely grim-looking faces. Squawking and gawking, Filch gaped on as the two of them surveyed the company through their noses, instantly commanding fear and respect. They looked like they worked for the Ministry, perhaps directly under Madam Bagnold.

"Are _these_ the outlaws?" asked the taller one. He had dark skin and spoke in a very heavy Scottish accent. His long, jet-black hair was loosely tied with a gold string and, in the dim-light, made him look more sinister than he looked.

Filch was quivering uncontrollably on the floor now. "I already told you, you have no authority in Hogwarts premises!" he spat out. "Now BE GONE! _Both of y_ —"

But the wizard ignored him entirely. "Oramaex!" he called out to the shorter, stouter wizard, who stepped up at once in sophisticated Auror fashion. "Get the outlaws and report to base at once!" he barked out.

"HUSH! They are MINE! _I_ get to present them to the Headmaster of HOGWARTS!" yelped Filch, his lower quivering uncontrollably.

Oramaex swiftly drew out his wand. "Step aside!" he bellowed pointing his wand straight at Filch's alarmed face. "You will NOT be warned a second time!" he called out crisply, his wand never lowering even for a second.

Filch's tremors were greater than ever now as he shook from head-to-toe in fear at the raised wand.

"You... You... _You can't_...! Dumbledore'd... Dumbledore'd never forgive ya...!" he spluttered, stammering more than ever. "These stu... Stu... Students... They're my r-responsibility!" he spluttered and almost put his hands out to shield them from the guards.

"For the last time!" yelled the taller wizard. "Hogwarts's Rule Book _does not apply_ to outlaws! This matter concerns the Ministry, and falls straight under the Minister's directives! NOE STEP ASIDE!" he yelled once more.

But Filch refused to move. He was reduced to tears now and looked like he may pee his pants very soon, but his hand remained outstretched, steady as a rock as if he was making a point—all this without knowing a lick of Magic!

"They're my students," he whispered through quivering lips. "And you don't get to touch them without the Headmaster's permission!" he declared with finality.

The two wizards gaped in complete disbelief at the Caretaker's complete disregard to the Minister's directives.

"That's right," said a voice from behind, making everyone whip around in alarm. The two wizards whirled around fiercely, but their stance weakened instantly at the sight of Dumbledore standing tall at the entrance, his wand drawn out too.

The teens immediately jumped out from under the table and hurtled towards their Headmaster, with Sirius and James carrying the limp body of Peter on their shoulders. Giving them all one swift look, enough to deduce the intensity of their injuries, he turned back to the Ministry officials.

"Auror Drudalf and Auror Oramaex. We thank your assistance for staying guard at Hogwarts for the last thirty-six hours, but your services are no longer required."

"But...!" started Drudalf, flabbergasted at the very least. "It's in our directives to—!"

"Have Millicent owl me all about it," Dumbledore cut him most deliciously. "But from this second on, you no longer have permission to remain within one inch of Hogwarts soil," he said, pointing his wand towards the Entrance Hall for emphasis.

No one, not even Aurors in their right mind, would be so foolish as to stand up to Dumbledore, _especially_ , Dumbledore with a wand. Drudalf was truly humiliated now, as he glared at Dumbledore with flaring nostrils. Given a chance, he would hex that calm smirk off of the old man's face this instant, but chose to bow out instead.

"Await dire consequences, Dumbledore," he said through gritted teeth before storming out of the broken entrance, closely followed by Oramaex.

Without wasting another second, Dumbledore turned towards the group of children. "James, take Peter and Lily down to the Hospital Wing, right away! Report back to my office as soon as you have briefed Madam Pomfrey of their injuries." Without another word, James hoisted Peter on to his shoulder before grabbing Lily's hand and sped down towards the Hospital Wing. "The rest of you will follow me," he said to the others, making them nod quickly in his direction, before turning to Filch. "You did very well today, Argus! The staff and students of Hogwarts will forever be indebted to your bravery tonight," he stated with a smile, taking Filch completely by surprise. Before Filch could even splutter his thanks to Dumbledore, the old wizard had twirled on his heel and led Sirius and Isabella down towards his office.

Isabella was not sure what day it was, nor was she even aware of the time. She knew though, that it must be very late in the night, because they did not run into a single student and it was pitch black outside the windows. And even though there was not one person around to confirm her thoughts, she knew Filch was right when he said they had caused quite a stir, because it sure did feel like all hell had broken loose here in their absence.

The three of them mutely turned around the corner before coming face-to-face with the large gargoyle guarding his entrance. "Wine gums," he said and the gargoyle immediately came to life. Within minutes, the three of them were seated in absolute silence in Dumbledore's desk with their Headmaster looking grimmer than usual. Even Sirius had the sense to hold back his wisecracks at a time like this.

"How did it go?" he spoke at last, sounding more worried than anything else.

"Quite alright, Professor," answered Sirius. "We didn't succeed entirely, though... We managed to retrieve two of the four heirlooms. We're not sure if the one we stole from Woldorin is an actual heirloom and Hufflepuff's heirloom was already stolen when Peter got there," he summarised.

"May I see them?" asked Dumbledore. Isabella quickly rummaged into Lily's pouch and brought out the locket, the diadem and the hourglass clock and placed it in front of the old wizard.

He ignored the locket and the diadem and went straight for the clock. Taking it delicately between his long fingers, he examined it closely for about a minute while Sirius and Isabella sat in absolute silence. "Exquisite... Most exquisite..." he muttered, never once taking his eye off of the tiny golden artifact. "How did you manage to get your hands on this one?" he asked, finally looking up at the pair.

"Well... It was fixed right at the centre of a gigantic amphitheater, Professor," said Isabella. "If I am being perfectly honest, we didn't really look around much... We were exhausted to the point of dying, Professor—"

"—My dear, there is no need to drown in guilt of any sort, because I am _quite_ aware of the task I sent you children on. So, I will not allow you to speak less of yourself at any point tonight," he said, looking at her deeply through his half-moon glasses. "However, I believe Sirius is right, though... This isn't one of Gryffindor's heirlooms and you wouldn't have found it even if you had spent searching every nook and corner of the castle and the kingdom."

"Why is that, Professor?" asked Sirius, which brought about a twinkle in the Headmaster's eyes.

"Because, the heirloom is bewitched to present itself to a true Gryffindor when they need it the most," he said and smiled at the bewildered expressions on their faces. "And that is the precise reason why no one has ever been able to steal the heirloom. However, that is not to say that all the efforts put to retrieve this clock here," he said, twirling it between his fingers, "is futile. In fact, I'd say this here is more valuable than all four heirlooms put together!"

"Why is that, Professor?" asked Isabella just as someone knocked on the door.

"Enter," said Dumbledore, eyeing his door eagerly even as a haggard James sauntered in and slumped into the chair next to Sirius.

"Because, this, my dear," he said, looking down at the golden object fondly, "this little object has played the most crucial in helping the Gryffindors win all their wars consistently against the Slytherins for centuries. Without this, the Gryffindors would've been long defeated by their enemies."

The three of them exchanged glances. "What is it?" asked Sirius even as James collapsed on his left shoulder.

"It's a Time Turner," he said, that made even James's head spring back up in awe. "Every time they lost a battle, Woldorin's priests would gather around and analyse what went wrong to then, go back in time and correct them, which eventually ensured nothing but victory for Woldorin over and over again. That, perhaps, could also have been one of the greatest reasons why the Slytherins loathed the Gryffindors so very much. They knew something was wrong, but could never find out _what_ really was wrong, prompting them to unleash their forces on the walls of Woldorin over and over again..."

A dead silence followed that comment, during which time James went back to resting his head on Sirius's shoulder.

"So, then, tell me Isabella. How did you manage to leave the realm with one of the most guarded objects in Wizarding history?"

"She slit her hand open, Professor," said Sirius, pointing at her crudely mended hand. "We used force to pry it off the floor, Professor. We didn't know it was going to awaken a guardian dragon! The whole place started to rumble and within seconds, we saw a gash on the floor."

"It was sleeping right below our feet, Professor," said Isabella. "There was no escaping that dragon... No one would've survived the fight... But then I remembered what the clue said. It asked the meddler to be brave and fair. And that courage runs in blood. That's when I realised I could exchange my own blood for the clock. So I slashed my hand and let the blood drip to the floor."

"And?" asked Dumbledore.

"Nothing... The dragon accepted the exchange. And we were free to go," said Sirius.

Dumbledore looked lost in thought and did not say anything for a long time. "Interesting," he said, still sounding slightly preoccupied. "Remind me to ask you a few more questions on this later tomorrow, Isabella," he said, looking slightly distracted. "As for you James, is Remus doing well?"

"Uh huh," he mumbled, not bothering to even lift his head off. "And so are Peter and Lily."

"Excellent. Very well done, then, all five of you," said Dumbledore, removing his glasses and rubbing his tired eyes. "I can go on for the rest of the night on how proud I am of each one of you, but I think it can wait. For now, your beds await," he said, pointing them politely to the door. When the three of them stood up graciously, he added, "In the Hospital Wing," he smiled.


	21. League of Lions

**A/N:** Brace yourselves for a crapload of high school drama :)

 _United..._

* * *

 **Chapter 21: League of Lions**

* * *

 **31st January Hospital Wing**

 **02:41 AM**

"Pads, you're being silly."

"Look, I'm just _worried_ , okay?"

"And that's a good enough reason for you to risk your neck, sneak out of the Hospital Wing and break into the _dungeons_ , all to have a ' _CHAT_ ' with your brother in the dead of the night, the keyword here being ' _dead_ '?!"

"Well, do you have a _better_ idea?!"

"Yes! _Go back to sleep_!"

"But, I need to see him! _Now_! Look, the plan's simple! We slip in, say hi, I kidnap Regulus out of his dorm, yell the crap out of him, make sure he understands that if he ever attempted something like this again, he'd find himself in St. Mungo's NURSING HIS TENDERS, _and then we slip back out_ —no one would ever even guess we'd left our _beds_!"

There was a silence during which, Isabella was sure Remus was contemplating between screaming into a pillow, gouging his own eyeballs out and crashing a jug of water on Sirius's head to bring him back to his senses.

"Do you realise how mental, not to mention _faulty_ , your plan sounds?!" he whisper-yelled, his voice bordering on forced calm now. "It's a quarter to three _for Merlin's sake_! You haven't had a second's worth of rest in more than a day and a half, Sirius! _Secondly_... _It's not practical_ —!"

"—Moony, _please_!" Sirius half-whined, half-sobbed.

Isabella, whose bed was right next to Remus's on which this silent tennis match of wills was taking place, sighed internally, because she was positive that in about exactly thirty seconds, Remus was going to say yes.

"Alright, _fine_!"

Even in her half-dazed state, Isabella's jaw dropped in shock at the magnitude of stupidity Remus was displaying right this instant. And just as she reluctantly prepared herself to get off her arse and give them both an earful for being absolute CLODS, she heard the doors to the quiet Hospital Wing burst open all of a sudden! Remus and Sirius exchanged quick glances of utter horror before diving flat on the bed and throwing the blanket over their heads so that Remus now looked like he was birthed by a _troll_. Isabella followed suit too and pretended to be fast asleep while noting the obvious sounds of a cloak grazing the floor and moving towards them.

"Professor Dumbledore?" came the groggy, quiet voice of Madam Pomfrey.

"Poppy! My sincere apologies for barging in at such an odd hour," said Dumbledore, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Oh, no, not at all! I needed to check up on Mr. Pettigrew's burns anyway. What is it, Professor?"

No one spoke for a really long time... Isabella was on high-alert mode now, screwing her ears as hard as she could. And then Dumbledore's whispers were heard again. "Poppy... When you cleaned out the children's wounds today, did you happen to chance upon anything... _Peculiar_...? Anything that may classify as Magical objects, perhaps? In their possession or their clothing?"

Silence again. Isabella's eyebrows knotted in confusion. What was this about...?

"Magical objects?" Pomfrey repeated, sounding lost in thought. "Well, no, I don't think so. At least the ones I _did_ come across didn't seem out of place in the slightest..."

The two of them fell quiet once more. "Could you tell me, off the top of your head, everything that you saw?" asked Dumbledore, making himself sound more and more mysterious by the second.

"Well... Let me see," said Pomfrey thoughtfully, "Miss Evans had a tiny pouch that contained several leaflets and parchments and quills and other school essentials. And then there were a couple of wands, several phials, one cauldron and a cup, a few scales, a telescope and two school robes. That was all, Professor."

A slow breeze blew in from the window and sent chills down Isabella's spine—and it had nothing to with the weather itself. There was something in Dumbledore's voice that put her in a very perturbed state...

"Oh, very well, then," came Dumbledore's gruff response after nearly forever. "Perhaps I _am_ overthinking this for nothing..." he said to himself, sounding very preoccupied.

"Why, is everything alright, Professor?" asked Pomfrey.

"Oh, I sure hope everything _is_... Anyway, thank you for that, and I hope you get some sleep tonight, my dear," he whispered.

"Not likely, but thank you, Professor," Pomfrey smiled. And with that, Isabella heard his cloak sweeping out of the double doors once again before they clicked shut. And not a second later, Remus and Sirius's heads emerged from under their blanket, looking just as bewildered as she was...

"Didn't you give him everything you had?" asked Remus suspiciously.

" _Of course_ , we did!"

There was a pause when all three of them broiled in curiosity.

"Doesn't look like Dumbledore trusts us entirely, does it?" asked Remus, sounding more worried than anything else.

The two of them fell silent again, deep in thought.

A few moments later, however: "So, are we going, or what?" asked Sirius, _most incredulously_.

"NO!" hissed Isabella before Remus could even react, making them both jump up in fright.

\- **O** -

 **1st February Hospital Wing**

 **07:18 AM**

Someone pressed a cold hand on her forehead, making her jerk awake.

"There, there! Your fever has come down so much, you're now almost good as new!" chirped a kind voice.

It took Isabella several seconds to realise where she was.

"Did you sleep well, dear?" asked Madam Pomfrey again, now preparing a potion of some sort.

"Not too badly," she replied groggily, her head still spinning heavily from having woken up so suddenly.

"Excellent! It will take at least a week more for the scars in your hand to disappear, so please make sure you don't have any more ' _accidents_ ' for some time?" she said, gracing her with a semi-stern look whilst thrusting the healing potion into her hand.

Rubbing her eyes and nodding wearily, Isabella pushed herself up on her elbows and looked at the other beds around her and found Peter and Lily still fast asleep. To her utter surprise, however, James, Remus and Sirius were already up and sniggering away nonsensically on James's bed, on the other side of the room. _Do these boys sleep at all_?

" _Drink up_ , Miss Williams!" said Pomfrey, before bustling out through the door into her quarters.

Gulping down the bitter potion and shuddering in its after-taste, she was just about to head down to the bathroom and freshen up when sounds of a sudden commotion beyond the double doors reached her ears. The three boys stopped talking and looked up too, seemingly puzzled at all the noise... It sounded as if a whole bunch of boys were having a massive squabble of some sort right outside the Hospital Wing.

"What's that...?" asked James, exchanging glances with Sirius and Remus. An odd rush went through her as the voices became louder and louder by the minute.

And not a second later, the double doors burst open and in stormed a _VERY_ cross-looking Thomas Walker, closely followed by an army of boys from across years and across _Houses_ , looking equally disgruntled.

"Wha—?" started James, looking truly alarmed at the at the fact they were being hounded by Edgar Bones, Simon Gregor, Brian McAdams, Puck Oleus, Daniel Willets, Thomas Walker, Martin Benkley, Robert Mathews, Calum Harper, Clayton Wicker, Samuel Willows, Ebin Smith, Vernon Béchanac, Lance Whittaker, Viktor Jigger, Kingsley Robins and Frank Longbottom all at once! And Isabella couldn't think of ONE plausible reason why there ought to be so many Hufflepuffs and _Ravenclaws_ under the same roof and at the same time, if not for dinner!

"You," said Thomas, pointing straight at a dumbfounded Isabella. "Get over here too, Williams!" he barked, clicking his fingers at her.

That was an order. He hadn't even had the courtesy to grace her with a look when he said that, something very uncharacteristic of him!

Whipping out a chair out of nowhere, he swung it around and placed it neatly in front a petrified Sirius and James, while Frank broke away from the crowd and hurriedly sank into the bed next to Remus, looking _more_ unforgiving and discomfited than even Thomas was. "What's going on?" muttered Sirius, to which Frank mumbled an incoherent, " _You fucked up big, man..._ "

James and Sirius exchanged yet another terrified glance as the group of older boys rounded up on them, as if ready to hex their faces out of recognition!

Looking more perplexed than ever, Sirius put his hands out. "Okay, Tom, whatever this is about, can we all just _calm down_ and—"

"—SHUT UP, Black! You've done _quite_ enough!" Thomas spat out, looking graver than ever.

"I don't think he even _REALISES_ what he's done!" growled Daniel, balling his hand into a tight fist and glaring murderously at Sirius.

"Willets, would you CALM DOWN for a second, and let me do the talking?!" Thomas spat out, glaring daggers at the sixth-year student. "Look, Black, I don't know, nor do I CARE about what you two have going between you," he said, gesturing between him and Isabella, "but I will NOT let you jeopardise _my team_!" he roared, gritting his teeth in full measure.

" _Give him the bloody context_ , first, alright?!" snapped Frank, before turning his grim face towards Sirius. "Mate, word got out about some _kiss..._ between you and _Williams..._?" he said, looking wide-eyed at him, almost hoping Sirius would deny the fact immediately. When all he got from the latter was stunned silence, Frank looked about ready to clobber him dead! "Well, congratulations, Goody and Wharton are now threatening to quit the bloody TEAM!" he whisper-growled into Sirius's face.

Isabella's face had gone white with shock now...

" _What_?" she squeaked, making Daniel's head jerk up to glare at her.

"Damn right, they are!" yelled Daniel, clenching his teeth once again. "And I'll make sure not ONE Gryffie attends a match for the _rest of the YEAR_ if you two don't resign!"

"—yeah, let's not get dramatic now, mate—" Samuel Willows started.

"Shut up, Sam!" Daniel flared up again. Turning his bloody face back to Sirius, he said, "That was LOW, Black! _Too low_! You BROKE him, man! You knew! We _A_ _LL_ knew how much he liked her...!"

"Okay, Dan, _simmer down_...!" said Martin Benkley, gruffly putting his hand on his chest.

"NO, Martin! He deserves to get hexed in the _bloody_ face!" he screamed and, before anyone could even blink, he had launched himself on an unsuspecting Sirius, making several boys cry out in panic and scramble to avert violence! " _HOW could you do this to him_?!" he growled over and above the noise, grabbing hold of Sirius's shirt, causing a petrified James and Frank to yank him back to safety while the rest of the seventh-years hauled a murderous Daniel away from the bed.

" _Hold your Horklumps_ , Willets!" Clayton roared into Daniel's face while Robert, Ebin and Calum held the homicidal sixth-year back by his hands. The atmosphere was sizzling with adrenaline now with tempers flying everywhere.

Having dived into the space between Sirius and Daniel, Thomas held his hands out to keep them as far away from each other as possible. Mutely turning to face Sirius, he growled, "Fix this!" while painfully jabbing him in the chest. " _Both of you_!" he added, looking at Isabella too this time. "Look, they're the best we have and I am not letting them go for something as _ridiculous_ as this!"

Daniel whirled around looking gobsmacked beyond expression. "LET THEM GO? You plan to LET **_THEM_ **GO—?!"

"No! I never SAID that—!" Thomas roared back.

"Ohhh, this is _precious_!" Daniel snarled.

"Okay, Dan, _that's enough_!" Isabella screamed, finally breaking her silence. Everyone turned around to face her. " _I_ will talk to Ryan! Alright?! And... And I will talk to Clare and Oliver too and if need be, _I_ shall quit the team instead—"

"—what?! _NO_!" roared James, Sirius and Thomas at the same time, much to Daniel's horror.

"Okay, stop talking! EVERYONE!" Vernon yelled, putting his hands up before Daniel or anyone else could even move a muscle. "Look, boys! Quidditch is sacred!" he started, choosing his words very carefully. "And we need the absolute best of the BEST in our teams for us to even dream of overthrowing the Snakes this year. And you've seen the bloody scores! I mean, we need a MIRACLE to beat them _blockheads_ —!"

"—you think I don't know that, Vern?!" roared Sirius, hurt that Vernon could even _assume_ something like this! "You think I did this on purpose? You think I'd ever do something that would jeopardise _our grand plan_ , a plan that _I_ helped devise at the start of this damned year?! Heck, I'd give up my WAND to see them lose the House Cup and you _know_ it!"

"YES, I do! And that's why we can't fall apart! Not NOW!" yelled Vernon. "Goody is the best Seeker you could possibly ask for this year! And Oliver, well, is there _anyone_ even remotely as big as him who could take his place as Beater on your team? This is the Dream Team, Black! And we need each and every one of you playing for Gryffindor. And that's why you _have_ to fix this mess. And it's like we discussed at the start of the year. We don't care WHICH house wins the Cup, as long as it's not _Slytherin_!" he yelled, breathing heavily. "And mate, NOW is the time to get back at them, dammit! Show them what unity looks like! Heck, ever since I heard about what Mulciber did to Evans, I swear by Helga, I wanted him _DEAD_! We all want the same thing, mate!" he said, gesturing to all of them. "We need to show them that they can't terrorise us forever _and_ get away with it too, and the way to show them up is by beating them at Quidditch!"

Anyone listening to this line of reasoning would surely believe they were actually dealing with a bunch of lunatics who can't tell between left and right...

"Nothing screams humiliation like a lost match in _Quidditch_!"

The former ex-Prefect ended his speech with so much POWER, the boys almost looked like they'd give him a teary-eyed standing ovation for that!

"He's right," mumbled Edgar, looking apologetically at his class-mates. "For the greater good, you know," he said, receiving several grunts of approval from the onlookers.

Sirius's face had gone numb with pride now, as he sat there stubbornly avoiding everyone's eye and scowling for full measure.

What boggled Isabella's mind the most though was, in all this time, none of them seemed even remotely interested in why or _how_ the bunch of fifth-years all got admitted to the Hospital Wing at the same time! No one seemed to care in the slightest about the flurry they had caused at the Ministry just a couple of days ago, or about the iconic Breaking of the Wall in History, making her want to burst out laughing at their priorities!

"Pads?" called out James, pulling him out of his self-pity cave.

"Okay, fine, you're right, _I'm sorry_!" Sirius mumbled as he threw his head back in exasperation.

"There you go!" hummed Ebin, while Thomas clapped him painfully on the back with a, "Alright, then!"

Daniel, however, scoffed and rolled his eyes scornfully. "Yeah, right! We'll just see what he does!" he spat out and jerked Puck's firm hand off his shoulder before turning on his heels and storming towards the door, leaving a void behind him. "I wish it weren't like this," sighed Brian apologetically, and before long, all the Gryffindor sixth-years had risen to their feet too and followed Daniel out of the Hospital Wing.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Thomas sank back into his chair looking about ready to set himself on fire while James, Sirius and Remus looked on helplessly at their Quidditch God. "We need to win," he started. "Both the Quidditch and the House Cup. It could be by 10 points or a 100, it doesn't matter. And _everyone's_ counting on us! So, go ahead and spoon Evantrap for all I care, but just make sure the team stays together, Black," he said, looking at Sirius this time. "Our final match is in less than a few weeks from now and we need to get our heads in the game, you hear me?"

Sirius mutely nodded only to receive several more appreciative pats on the back from the bunch of boys. The electric tension that had prevailed up until a second ago seemed to dissipate immediately, replaced by warm camaraderie once again. And just like that, the conference came to and end. "We'll see you on the other side, then," smiled Robert, winking cheekily at them.

"Oh, and, sending the whole Ministry on a wild goose chase like that?" Lance started, grinning for full measure now. "NICELY done!" he guffawed, making the bunch of them burst out laughing at last. "Our pleasure," James called back even as the lot of them high-fived the younger boys, overcome with glee and admiration for the Lions.

...

"Really, Sirius? You _snogged_ her?"

The burning Isabella felt in her face could have brought a whole city down to ash as she watched three very formidable faces glaring down at the two of them, determined to get answers. Except James, perhaps; he just looked highly amused. And she couldn't blame Remus for the absolute shock he held in his face as he asked this question, because _CLEARLY_... Well... Er... Well, she was SURE he had a good enough reason!

" _Well_?!" Lily tapped her feet menacingly, scowling at the pair. Her worst nightmare was realised when Lily woke up and the first thing she had remembered was her promise to Isabella about 'having words' about this very topic!

Sirius rolled his eyes nice and wide. "Could you all stop making such a big DEAL out of this?" he shot back snappishly. And Isabella's jaw dropped.

Both Remus and Lily's eyes widened so much, it was at risk of rolling right out of their sockets!

"' _Such a big deal_ '?!" Remus repeated as if he was not sure he had heard Sirius right.

"Since when did _snogging_ become such a big crime?!"

"Since she got a _boyfriend_!" yelled Lily.

Isabella cringed so much at that word, she was sure a whole gallon of milk got turned somewhere this very instant!

"Well!" started Sirius, half-shrugging, half-shuddering and fully managing to punch himself in the face. "Look, would you two calm down for Merlin's sake! It was just a kiss, it's not like it _meant_ anything!"

Isabella whipped around. " _What_?!"

" _Didn't MEAN anything_?" Lily interjected before Isabella even had the chance to respond.

"I wasn't thinking straight! I mean, I was sleep-deprived and _tired_ and... And... In all honesty, I wasn't thinking at all!"

Remus was so angry now, he looked like he was overcome with the urge to patronizingly offer him dog treat! "Sirius," he started, speaking very slowly lest he'd explode. "One doesn't snog someone... without THINKING!" he finally roared.

"But...!" wheezed Sirius, now losing the plot faster than he could spell it. "I... Look, _I know what this sounds like_! But for your information, Izzy means a LOT more to me than any of the other slags I've... You know?" he offered weakly.

"Oh! My! _GOD_!" Isabella sprang up to her feet in shock. Her chest was heaving and falling so much, she was surprised she hadn't torn her robes as yet.

"OH! No, no, no, I didn't mean it like _that_...!"

"Sirius! STOP TALKING!" roared Isabella.

"No! _Start_ talking! I really want to hear this one out," Remus cut in. "Why? _Why_ in the name of Merlin, did you do what you did, Sirius _Orion_ Black?" he rasped.

Sirius merely gaped for a bit as he took in James's stifled sniggers, Lily's bloodshot eyes, Remus's death glare and Isabella's scrunched up face all at one go.

Breathing heavily and thinking up a reason that Isabella was SURE _none_ of them, including James, were going to like, he spluttered out a, "Because she's a KNOCKOUT now, have you not _noticed_...?"

Abruptly Isabella turned to Remus with a forced calm. "He's appalling."

"I know," growled Remus, pulling her into a giant pity hug. "Trust me, Izzy, _I know._ "

"Is he always like that?" roared Lily.

"Unfortunately," replied Isabella and Remus at the same time.

"That just sucks."

"Look, can I just get a second alone with her?" Sirius asked, his face suddenly hardening up.

Lily was almost breathing fire now. "Are you KICKING us out?!"

"Yes! I want to talk to her. _In private_ ," he added stiffly, looking straight into Isabella's eyes now.

James, who was now purple in the face from uncontrolled laughter, sobered up just a little and nodded solemnly. "Congratulations! Your first words of wisdom for the day!" he guffawed.

Lily and Remus looked at him incredulously, but James seemed unperturbed. "What? It really _is_ none of our business!" he shrugged, still smiling but oozing with matured confidence.

"Tell me he's joking," growled Lily to a stunned Remus when—

"Lily?!" called out Sirius, suddenly having gone livid in the face. "Respectfully... Get out!" he snapped, stabbing her with a piercing look.

It came like a slap to the face.

Isabella saw her go numb all over at once, shocked at being spoken to like that... And the fact that it was coming from Sirius hurt her even more—because deny as she may, the only other boy apart from Severus she cared about and thought of as a 'friend' was him. Pursing her lips and blinking back hot tears that prickled the corners of her eyes, she shot Isabella one look of pure anger and hurt before storming out of the place to the other side of the large room where her bed stood.

Shaking his head unforgivingly and still seething in disbelief, Remus muttered a, "You're better than this, Sirius," before mutely followed Lily. James who looked torn between picking sides, simply stood there, dumbfounded, unable to move a muscle quite yet. Not a moment later, however, Remus came back and dragged him away from the place with a reassuring hand wrapping over his shoulder.

A silence descended between them.

"Thank Merlin," breathed Sirius, as soon as the two of them were alone again and out of earshot.

Isabella was all of shaking uncontrollably in anger. "You. Are SO MEAN!" she growled, and hotly folded her hands across her chest while watching him through narrowed eyes. "That was unnecessary!" she yelled, towering above him.

"I don't care! I just want to talk to _YOU_ , alright? Come here!" he said, pulling her closer to him.

"No! NO TOUCHING!" she yelled, yanking her hands away.

"Okay, FINE! Get closer at least! I don't want them listening in!" he roared back, looking disturbed at the very least, before shooting his disgruntled friends a look.

Isabella glared unforgivingly at him before begrudgingly stepping closer to his bed, her jaw permanently clenched now.

"Look, this all boils down to what _we_ want..." he started, speaking slowly and (thankfully) choosing his words more appropriately this time. "And I know that I may have sounded like the biggest prat the world ever saw a few minutes ago, but I swear, I meant no disrespect."

"Get to the point, Sirius!" she hissed through gritted teeth.

"I'm saying I meant it when I said you mean a ton to me, Iz! _Okay_? I wasn't thinking out of my _arse_ when I stalked you down and kissed you that day, no! I genuinely DO feel this connection, something that I've not quite felt before with anyone else!" he rasped, glowering at her. "My _problem_ though, is..." he said, racking his brain desperately for the right words, "...is... well... I can't be your Evantrap," he muttered finally. "I don't know how to do... _that_ ," he said gesturing to an invisible pot. "And don't get me wrong, I'd gladly snog your brains out given a chance, because ever since, I've not been able to get my _mind_ off of you! But... I just want you to know that nothing will _ever_ come of it. I want to be upfront with you about this, I can't quite promise you anything!" he paused, looking deeply into her eyes. Not a second later, he gingerly took her hand in his, his eyes never leaving hers. "I'm not ready for a relationship of any sort, and frankly, I don't think I'm capable of having one, Izzy... So, there you have it, that's my stand."

Isabella didn't say anything and simply stood there dumbstruck beyond words.

"And if you're okay with that, if this is what you want as well, then," he paused, and bravely locked eyes with her one more time, "well, then I'm all yours," he whispered, his face finally breaking into a handsome smile despite the angst that etched his features.

And for the first time ever, Isabella felt genuine respect for Sirius. She didn't know what or why but there was this innate sense of genuineness in his voice this time that rendered her absolutely speechless. And she wasn't angry or upset—not one bit.

"Well?" he said, shaking her hand a bit and looking up expectantly into her face.

She sighed heavily before speaking. "No, Sirius."

"No, what?"

"No, I can't do snog-and-forget like you just suggested a second ago."

His face fell. "Really?"

"Yes, really!" she snapped irritatedly, but her stance softened up once more, replaced by an odd warmth. "But, thank you for being honest... I really do appreciate it," she mumbled incoherently.

He shot her a surprised look, almost as if grateful that she got him... Shrugging mutely, her gave her hand a little squeeze as a 'thank you'. "Wouldn't dream of hurting you..." he said most solemnly.

There was a pause when neither said anything.

"So, does this mean we're not friends anym—"

Isabella rolled her eyes.

"—I'm not _that_ idiotic, Sirius, please give me a _bit_ more credit than that!" she spat out, screwing up her face gravely and teetering between mock-pride and fake-disbelief. The silence only lasts a few seconds before they burst out sniggering so hard, she almost had to lean against his frame to avoid falling flat on her face.

Still grinning and still feeling too dazed at how well she was taking this whole situation, he tugged at her hand and pulled her on to the bed next to him. "Have I told you, you're amazing?" he asked, smiling broadly down at her.

"Never."


	22. Hidden Figures

**A/N:** Thank you all for your patience while I took a tiny break from this story. Thanks to all new Follows and Faves - I hope to never disappoint.

 **Guest:** Thank you for reading my story. Looks like you're up for one hell of a ride! :)

* * *

 **Chapter 22: Hidden Figures**

* * *

 _Unedited..._

The mood in the room was formidable, almost dripping with fear... The only sounds that broke the silence were the quiet crackling of the fire and the nervous shuffling of feet as the Knights stood there silently around their Master, waiting. The stillness that persisted in the room was so potent, it seemed to leave a haunting scream in its wake...

It was nearing dawn, but the Lestranges' house, marred by years and years of neglect, was covered in such a thick overgrowth of weed and brush that it looked like it was still midnight in the cavernous, circular living room. The mullioned windows on either side of the front door needn't have even been there given that they were coated by an inch of dust, making it impossible for any light to penetrate in at all...

And amidst the stench and decay they stood, tongue-tied and practically shaking on the spot. No one had the answers to the questions he sought nor the Portkeys he would need to steal the Founders' heirlooms—and he was not happy.

Interestingly, although every member in the room seemed about ready to wet their pants, there was only one TRULY guilty soul among them all tonight. Trembling and quivering in irrefragable fear, Trafford Avery didn't even need to look up to know that the terrifying set of slit pupils were trained on _him_ , boring a hole in his skull. And despite the unnatural chill that enveloped them all, his palms got sweaty, leaving him a frantic, sputtering mess. _He knew...! How did he always_ know _?!_ He thought, wiping his hands against his robes for the hundredth time that morning. A tight knot was forming in the pit of his stomach and before he knew it, he found himself spiraling into mad panic.

Trafford had to come up with a plan, a plausible explanation as to why he hadn't been able to carry out the Lord's orders despite being the Head of the Department of Magical Cooperation! As it is, ever since Lycorus got admitted into the Goblin Liaison Office, Trafford had begun regretting his decision of ever joining the Knights of Walpurgis's cause... Because one, when he had agreed to join the 'guild' back in 1944, he was a teenager, _a stupid bloody teenager_ , with a large head, a humongous ego, raging hormones and a bleeding thirst for thrill. Two, because suddenly, the Muggles and Muggle-borns were _everywhere_ —in their streets, in their newspapers, _in their bloody_ _families..._ They were taking over the world and ruining EVERYTHING! Waging pointless wars merely to assert their foolish dominance over one another, tarnishing purely Magical bloodlines that were once _untouchable_ , getting admitted into Magical schools and having the AUDACITY to make Magic their own—something which was once 'exclusive' to wizards! It boiled his blood even now when he thought about the Muggle filth that infiltrated into his own family and almost got the Noble House of Avery kicked out of the Sacred Twenty Eight compendium...

But as much as he despised this whole situation, his interest in the guild was waning fast, because to be part of the Knights meant he would be on the wrong side of the Ministry—RIGHT when the Avery name was finally rising up from the ashes once again. For as long as Trafford could remember, the Averys had meant nothing to the Magical world—they were neither feared upon as were the Rosiers or the Lestranges, nor were they revered as were the Blacks. The Averys were merely one of the last few pure-blood families to exist— _until now_!

Because now, the time had finally come to show the world who the Averys really were and what it would mean to cross them! It had taken Trafford his whole life and scores and scores of sacrifices and insults and sleepless nights to have risen up to this level in wizarding strata. And now, with Lycorus too joining the Goblin Liaison Office, they were finally UNTOUCHABLE! Going against the Lord was the only option. And although he knew he was playing a VERY dangerous game, the odds of which could cost him his whole life, he didn't care. Ambition and the greed for power numbed him blind even as he stood there, in the dark dungeon-like room, burning under the Lord's death glare.

And he would have gladly absconded for today's meeting as well had it not been for the anonymous tip-off he had received at his office the day before about the growing displeasure of the Knights at his remiss. He had known the bunch too well to brush it off as a bluff. These halfwits here were some of the deadliest wizards one could ever run into, and he was not going to take his chances with them. Because from the corner of his eye, he could see the blatant delight on Bellatrix's face every time she shot him sultry looks of glee, almost as if she knew his secret. A sick fear gripped him as he watched her lick her lips and watch him in the most nauseating manner possible and Trafford didn't know who he needed to fear more, the Lord, or _her_...

The silence got denser and denser now, and every breath suddenly felt like molten lava at his nostrils.

"Twelve able wizards and witches..." Voldemort finally spoke, his stony voice sending shivers down their spine as if they had been hit by a sudden blast of icy wind. Trafford felt his facial muscles turn to stone—it was evident that the Lord was speaking to him and him _only_ , "…and not _one_ worthy enough to carry out orders—"

He didn't know what came over him, but he found himself floundering in terror.

"—M-My Lord!" squeaked Trafford, before he could stop himself. "Not at all!" he stuttered, bravely stepping forward and tumbling clumsily to the floor to bow down in front of the large man, seated in his high-backed chair. "P-Please, my Lord, do not believe those who whisper behind my back! Their only intention is to turn you against me, against your most loyal servant!" he stammered, not realising he had just fed himself to the devil! Because the room erupted into an uproar at once.

"RUBBISH! WE HAVE NO SUCH PLOYS, MY LORD!" roared Rodolphus Lestrange, looking aghast. "We only speak the TRUTH!"

"Your Lordship, I am innocent!" Trafford bellowed desperately. "THE KNIGHTS HAVE WANTED TO BANISH ME FROM THE GUILD FOR A VERY LONG TIME—!"

"MALARKEY! AVERY'S BLARNEYING, MY LORD!" screamed Vinda Rosier, sneering into Trafford's face. "HE'S A _TRAITOR_!"

"NO! MY LORD, EVERYONE'S LYING TO YOU! NO ONE'S TELLING YOU THE TRUTH!" he spluttered, shaking uncontrollably and desperately racking his brains to come up with something sensible, "It's not true, my Lord! Everything about the Cursed Pair is FALSEHOOD!" he cried, trembling from head to toe. He was not good at lying, but desperate times called for desperate measures. "It's a farce—!"

"LIES!" shrieked Bellatrix, " _TRAFFY AVERY LIES_!" she scream-sang before Trafford could even finish his sentence, glaring and gleaming at the same time as if she had consumed a whole tub of Amortentia and Doxycide together! "The traitor never conducted the investigation—!"

"—THAT'S NOT TRUE! My Lord, I'm being framed, _DOUBLE-CROSSED_! _Don't_ believe a word of what's being said—!"

"—My Lord, Avery hasn't attended a meeting in SIX MONTHS!" interjected Rhobus Nott, grinning triumphantly in Bellatrix's direction.

"—I was busy serving your Lordship, my Master—!"

"— _LIES_!" screeched Bellatrix again, this time even more loudly than the last. "Avery submitted a petition to the Minister's office last night requesting the termination of the inquiry!" she screamed, triggering a roar of approval from the other members.

Trafford merely blinked wildly. "BECAUSE THE LEGEND OF THE CURSED PAIR IS A _FARCE_! There are no Hidden Kingdoms! _There were NO Hadens_! It's a MYTH, my Lord! A myth designed to drive wizards crazy! All your efforts to track down the Founders' heirlooms are POINTLESS—!"

"— _SILENCE_!" roared Lord Voldemort finally. Everyone fell quiet at once. The large snake at his ankle coiled further up the pillar behind him, hissing and spitting at them all, and mirroring her Master's rage. "Bellatrix..." he whispered, his voice smooth as silk, despite the burning rage within his vertical slits. "What of the Black boy?" he asked, only he was glaring at a stupefied Trafford while he spoke.

Bellatrix made a guttural noise of happy frustration and annoyingly beamed at Trafford before speaking. "Acquitted! On all accounts!" she screamed, and Trafford's insides sank even more. "Just this mornin'! He was backed by _Dumbledore_... The ol' oaf convinced a room full of Ministry officials that they were cracked in the head to think they had finally broken the Wall in History! He made us all look like an absurd travesty, M'Lord! Said everyone hoping to find Portkeys that would take them to the _Hidden Kingdoms_ had better visit Borgin Burkes instead for priceless ' _collectibles_ '!" she growled, her voice now growing steadily with every syllable in anger.

The silence that followed that scream was worse than death.

"The Seventh Knight...?"

"Sirius Black. The future Lord of House Black, my Lord. My unworthy _cousin_! Still alive and still as much a blood-traitor as EVER!"

The pair of bloodshot eyes had turned to fire now.

"And the heirlooms...?" he hissed, sounding more dangerous than ever, his face quivering uncontrollably.

"Gone."

The chillness that swept up the room made his blood run cold. Every single member's gaze was on him now.

"Avery..."

"My Lord, no..." he stuttered, dissolving entirely in mortal terror. "PLEASE, my Lord! I'm not lying! THE LEGEND IS NOT TRUE! THE KNIGHTS ARE PLOTTING YOUR _DOWNFALL_ —!"

A wand was raised.

"MY LORD! I AM YOUR MOST LOYAL SERVANT—!"

It twisted into position, steady as a rock.

"No! No, my Lord, PLEASE! I have a family! MY FAMILY NEEDS ME! My Lord, please! I'm sorry, my Lord! The Averys shall never deceive you again! NEVER! I AM ETERNALLY AT YOUR FEET! Please spare m—"

" _Avada Kedavra_!"

A jet of green light hit him squarely in the head.

Several screams filled the room as his body dropped dead to the floor with a lonely thud.

~ **oOo** ~

~oO **_Back in Hogwarts_**

 _LORD TRAFFORD AVERY DISCOVERED DEAD._

The newspaper had barely left the tiny, tawny owl's feet when Isabella let out a stunned gasp at the headlines that morning.

" _WHAT_?!" she roared, snatching it away from Sirius's reach and staring wildly at the words again and again as if hoping they would miraculously end up meaning something else.

"OI! Give it to me!" he yelled back crossly but she ignored him and wrenched the paper open to read the article.

Gasping irritatedly, he did the unthinkable—he clambered on top of the table amidst surprised cries of horror, pushed a whole jug of pumpkin juice down in his haste (much to the annoyance of their fellow House-mates) and jumped next to her on the other side just in time to join James, Mary, Remus, Claiborne and Alice by her side.

The five of them put their heads together while Isabella read out loud. " _'Lord Trafford Parius Avery, Head of the Department of Magical Cooperation, discovered dead at the Ministry headquarters in the wee hours of this morning_ — _a day after he had ordered for the termination of the inquiry into the Hogwarts theft case. His body was found lying at the feet of the Fountain of Magical Brethren statue in the Ministry's Atrium, much to the horror of the staff and officials.'_

"Bloody hell," mumbled Alice, her hand flying over mouth. "He's Lycorus's father, isn't he?!" she gasped, turning to face the boys.

"He is," Sirius nodded darkly, still reading the paper over Isabella's shoulder.

"It won't be long before they go for Ly, too, eh?" said James running a hand through his shock of messy hair, invoking mortal terrors in their eyes. The other Gryffindor students around them whipped their heads around too, having never realised this could be the obvious next headline they ever read.

"Does it say who did it?!" demanded Eudora Bearfist.

"Doesn't have to!" Edgar replied fiercely from Isabella's other side. "It's that Voldemort and his henchmen again, obviously! It's been him for the last ten years at least—!"

"Bones, could you not say his name, please?" Nabirye Eusuola feverishly wheezed. "It's all I ever hear these days... And I'm positively freaked out!"

"Hang on!" cried Isabella and continued to read the paper out aloud. " _'Rumour mills are abuzz that the murder was the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. From the looks of it, it is probable that Avery was part of the Dark cult known as the Knights of Walpurgis, an alleged secret association of wizards and witches who work for the Dark Lord. Local Aurors believe that things may have turned sour between him and the rest of the members, which must have led to his execution._

 _Central Investigators, however, assert that that may not be the case, as several Heads of Departments at the Ministry insist Avery was innocent and had no connection to the Dark side._

 _'Trafford Avery was an honourable wizard with an impeccable record, during his time as Head,' stated a Department representative. 'He had no enemies; he was a good man.'_

 _And even as the British Magical Community seethes in shock at the news of Avery's death, graver news have reached the Daily Prophet from Muggle authorities earlier today. The Muggle Prime Minister's intelligence agency has allegedly reached out to the Minister of Magic to inform her that there might have been a falling out between the Dark Lord's supporters themselves last night, forcing them to split into two separate groups, one with more dangerous and sinister motives than the former. Only time would tell what this would mean for the Magical community in the coming future.'_ "

"Merlin's beard," whispered James, yanking his glasses off his face in shock and looking stunned. "Voldemort's supporters—"

"—Potter, for the love of Godric!" roared Nabirye.

"Okay, okay, _fine_!" he snapped back with a roll of his eyes. "This—' _Dark Lord's_ ' supporters have had _falling out_?" James finished.

"And the new bunch are far more _dangerous_?" added Edgar.

"And why would someone ever call themselves a 'Knight of _Walpurgis_ '?" Claiborne gagged, her face twisted in repulsion.

"Wait, wait, wait... Can we please focus on the actual news?!" snapped Adaire Blackwood, a fellow sixth-year and Eudora's best friend. "Lord Avery is _dead._ So, what, no one, _not even Purebloods_ , is immune to this shit now?!"

"Apparently so..." breathed Robert, looking particularly flustered. "Mate, the Averys are _massive_!" he said, turning to the boys. "They're some of the purest of the pure families to ever exist! Why would someone with that name ever be a target—?!"

"—Doesn't matter," Sirius cut him, looking grimmer than ever. "Haven't you worked it out as yet? He doesn't care about anything but _himself_! And _his_ rise to power!" he spat out darkly. "If you cross the Dark Lord, you tend stand the same fate too. He doesn't care about blood purity, he's not Grindelwald... He just wants Pureblood _bondsmen_ licking his feet and if you don't bow to him, you will die too, irrespective of blood status, it seems."

Sirius's words sent shivers down the table and practically everyone had stopped eating now. The reality of what was coming for them all seemed to hit them in their very core, making it impossible to remain calm anymore.

Clayton Wicker shook his head dazedly. "Lycorus was a legend, man... I'd be devastated if something were to happen to him."

"More reason why we ought to clear the A.P.E.s and join the bloody fight," Remus said sporting the grimmest expression Isabella had ever seen on him. Clapping him lightly on the back he quickly straightened up and gathered up his books, seemingly preoccupied all of a sudden. "Frankly, I'm surprised the Ministry didn't think of this conscription programme earlier on. Imagine the number of tragedies they could've averted..." he trailed off, his face suddenly bearing deep sadness. "Choose your friends wisely, I'd say," he added, and stormed out of the place without waiting for anyone.

Everyone who had been listening in blinked confusedly as they watched Remus's head disappear beyond the double doors. Sirius and James exchanged worried looks.

"Go," said Sirius even as James grabbed his bag and mutely dashed after his friend. Isabella didn't know what upset Remus all of a sudden, but she had to admit: he was mighty lucky to have chosen these two airheads as his friends.

Sirius, Isabella, James and Remus had been the first to get discharged from the Hospital Wing, three days ago, while Lily and Peter continued to recover under Madam Pomfrey's care. And the first thing that Isabella noticed after her return were the number of empty chairs at the High Table during dinner. Going by the surprised look on her face, Claiborne had explained that damage-control up at the Wizangamot was still underway and that most classes were governed by the Prefects from the different Houses for the time being. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Hagrid, Sprout, Flitwick and Slughorn had apparently been summoned to the magical court of law to rule out foul-play in the Portkey theft case; exactly _how_ they were going to achieve that she had no idea, and the Daily Prophet had been curiously tight-lipped about this case too.

The more worrisome aspect, however, was that of Regulus Black as everyone apart from the Chief Warlock (Dumbledore) were convinced that the boy was guilty as charged for smuggling in Dark objects into the school. From whatever they could hear through the grapevine, however, it was clear that Dumbledore was making a mockery of the court by challenging the members to prove the existence of the so-called 'Vanishing Cabinet' through which Regulus was accused of sneaking in the objects.

 _'Father said the whole affair was quite scandalous!' Esmeralda Blishwick, their Slytherin classmate, had told them that day during Charms. Leaning in closer so that they won't be overheard, she had added, 'Mother thinks everyone's so keen on convicting him only because they want to see mighty Walburga Black's head hang in shame... Pathetic, eh?'_

 _To say that she was shocked at the lengths wizards were willing to go to overthrow a powerful name was an understatement._ _'Is it just me, or does everyone else thinks wizards are a hundred times haughtier than Muggles too?' Alice had asked just as Dorcas Meadowes, the Prefect of Slytherin House, caught them whispering and took 10 points from Gryffindor._

The second thing Isabella noticed since her return was that she had, most unfortunately, suddenly shot to fame, because no matter _where_ she went or _what_ she did, all everyone ever wanted to do now was stop and stare at her or whisper behind her back, not even TRYING to be subtle about it. The Slytherin girls, perhaps, were the most spiteful of them all, as they had suddenly rounded up on her one day and demanded answers about the heirlooms and Portkeys. The poor lassies didn't know what hit them when, suddenly a horde of Hufflepuffs discovered them and immediately came to her rescue. Admittedly, it was rather hilarious to watch them flee for their lives screaming as if they had cockroaches crawling up their skirts.

But despite having gone back to their old lives, the goings-on at the old castle still looked like the inside of a poorly-written 1970's TV show, with journalists, Aurors, goblins and pointy-hatted Ministry officials hopping in and out of view in the corridors every now and then. Every inch and every corner of the old school was being searched, which, much to the annoyance of the staff members, highly disrupted classes and the students' daily routine. Teachers and Prefects were given strict orders to follow and comply with the Aurors' demands at all times, which sadly meant less practicals and more homework to make up for the lack of activity during classes.

And even as she picked up her bag and followed her friends to their Muggle Studies classroom, she realised just how relaxed things have gotten between her and Sirius. She didn't know what or why, but for the first time ever, she felt free—completely free. She was no longer awkward around him, didn't feel the urge to constantly look for him, didn't freeze on the spot if he got too close to her, nor feel the harrowing emptiness in her heart that she had battled with night after night. She was finally over him.

- **O** -

"It's been three _days_ now, Lue, can we please not do this?" she demanded, scowling at the rock-hard, expressionless face of Lucius Malfoy as he mutely practiced the Bird-Conjuring Charm. Several girls from across the room kept shooting them curious glances as if they couldn't believe someone as suave as Lucius would ever want to hang out with a slob such as herself. "Lucius!" she hissed, yanking his wand off his hand and causing it to send a jet of hot water and nearly knocking poor Bertha Jorkins off her feet.

"Are you mental?" he yelled, turning to glare down at her and sneering an apology to Bertha at the same time.

"Well, I had to get your attention one or the other, didn't I?" she replied stiffly. "Look, you have every right to be mad at me—"

"—ha, it's funny you should say that, considering you've hounded me for three days straight asking me to _not_ be exactly that!" he said, scoffing mirthlessly.

"Because, THREE FULL DAYS of this torturous silent treatment is a bit much, don't you think?" she snapped back, grinding her teeth for full measure. "I mean, honestly, what have I done so bad to deserve this?"

He swiftly turned around to face her. " _Honestly_? Do you want me to spell it out for you—?!"

"—NO!" she yelled back, quickly realising her mistake. The two of them fell silent once more and Lucius went back to muttering the spell under his breath. Giving him one more wistful look, she gulped her ego down and straightened up. "Okay, _fine_... I'm sorry!" she said at long last, making his hand halt in mid-air, waiting. "I shouldn't have tricked you like that..." she mumbled, scowling petulantly. "It was mean and not very nice of me."

Raising an eyebrow, he turned his cold, pale face towards her once again. " _And_?" he said, watching her through the bridge of his nose.

It took her a while to gulp down her ego and gather the courage required to say the following words out loud. "I should've _at least_ let you join us on the mission!" she growled, speaking between her teeth and grudgingly letting him win the squabble.

He paused for a second, as if contemplating on whether this was a good-enough apology or not. Nodding satisfactorily, he said, "Well, that's all I wanted to hear!" hardly opening his mouth.

"But!" she said, feeling her temper rise up again. "You HAVE to admit that I could never have known you'd want to come along too, considering you HATE those pigheads!"

"That's none of your concern! I wanted to come see the Hidden Kingdoms and you wouldn't LET ME! It's why I was sneaking outside Filch's office in the first place, wasn't I?" he sneered back, not even realising how puerile he sounded.

"You're unbelievable!"

"At least I'm not a _traitor_!"

"Am I forgiven or not?!" she rasped, hotly crossing her hands across her chest.

"Sure, I don't see a reason why you _shouldn't_ be, considering you admitted to acting like a complete dolt—"

"— _HONESTLY_?!" she snarled, and watched the corners of his lips twitch expressionlessly. A second later, however, his resolve breaks and before she knew it, he had burst out laughing in her face. Wheezing and gasping and fully collapsing to the floor, he managed to say, "Okay, okay, fine! I took it a bit too far, I reckon!" before howling his lungs out once again.

"I _hate_ you!" Isabella said, slapping his arm while he continued to cackle on the side. Rolling her eyes, she simply stared at him for a long time, teetering between disbelief and apathy, her face working furiously as she too felt an explosive laughter bursting its way up. Before she knew it, she had collapsed to the floor too next to him. And the two of them end up roaring out so much, Bertha on the table next to theirs almost seemed to worry for their sanity.

- **O** -

The final bell for the day rang through at long last, followed by the usual scuffle of activity as everyone packed their bags and made a dash for the door.

"Good Godric, that was the most mind-numbing day I've ever had!" exclaimed Mary, swinging her bag onto her shoulder.

"Tell me about it," mumbled James from the back, looking just as disgruntled. "I swear, I'd rather throw sand in my eyes than listen to Meadowes's screechy, ' _Read chapters three and four... QUIETLY!_ '" he barked out in a nasal tone and doing a fantastic imitation of her.

Isabella snorted while the rest of the girls burst into giggles.

"That was uncanny!" cackled Edgar, high-fiving a delirious James.

"I mean!" James guffawed, still laughing, "D'you think her dorm mates ever wake up screaming in the middle of the night because her snores drove a hole in their skulls?" he said in tones of mock concern.

"Ha. Well, that explains a lot about the _rest_ of them..." said Remus, sounding genuinely surprised. "No wonder they're all so dense," he said, most seriously while the group broke into louder snickers.

"Also, picture this," started Edgar, putting his hands out dramatically. "There's Meadowes screeching out on one side and then there's Bertha doing her bit on the _other_ night after night!" he grinned, shaking his head in mock empathy. "Yeah, I feel terrible for the Slytherin girls," he guffawed, making James nearly choke to death.

And even as they continued to lose their heads at Edgar's theory, Sirius cleared his throat hesitantly from the back, making Edgar, Remus and James swivel around curiously. "Er, actually she doesn't snore at night," he stated and blinked wildly back at them. "On the contrary, she's actually kinda sweet."

James and Remus froze in place, a look of horror quickly replacing their grins. "OH MY GOD, you and _BERTHA JORKINS_?" James guffawed after what seemed like an eternity. "WHEN?!" he exclaimed, grabbing the front of his robes and grinning uncontrollably in second-hand embarrassment for his best friend.

"At the very beginning of fifth-year, last September!" Remus blurted out looking unimpressed before Sirius could even stop him.

"That was supposed to be a _secret_ , Moony!" he yelled, scrunching his face up like a child.

"Honestly, Black, _Bertha_?!" asked Mary with a scrunch of her nose. "Doesn't she smell pretty bad?" she said, dramatically lowering her voice and teasing him even more.

"No, she does _not_!" he retorted defensively. "Secondly, she had on her some really fine moves, okay? Just goes to show there's beauty inside," he said before quickly adding, "...EVEN if not so much on the _outside_!" he scoffed and tried to ward off the repulsion he was receiving from the onlookers.

"But... Wh—" James stuttered, still seething in shock at this new piece of information. "How're you two NOT awkward around each other in classes, though? I mean, you had _me_ fooled!"

"Well, it's all about getting the contract right, man!" snorted Sirius, his magnetic confidence suddenly returning in all its glory, as the group trudged into the Great Hall for dinner. "The two of you must simply understand each other _perfectly_ , and VOILA! The perfect shag!"

The boys all blinked while girls rolled their eyes and apathetically took their seats around the long table.

"O Master, please impart wisdom upon us mortal imbeciles!" Edgar crooned dramatically, making Isabella scoff even more loudly.

"Three rules, man," started Sirius, holding up three fingers, his eyes twinkling delightfully. "Three golden rules to get that drama-free, non-clingy lay that we ALL want—"

"—correction. That drama-free, non-clingy lay that YOU want," interjected James.

"DON'T interrupt the man...?" Edgar sputtered peevishly, before turning eagerly towards Sirius, who was still holding out three fingers up in the air. "Go on, mate. What are they?" he grinned, hardly managing to contain the glee on his face.

Sirius flashed that smile and Isabella instantly knew what to expect. "Ba-bang, ba-boom, ha-buh-bye!" he laughed, cringing at his own product!

The girls shook their head in complete disapproval while the boys were beside themselves with laughter.

"But, mate," Edgar started, finally managing to catch his breath. "Was _Bertha_ the one you lost your—"

"—haha! _Hardly_!" Remus cut him, rolling his eyes in disbelief as if he expected more from a fine man like Edgar. "No. Sirius lost his virginity _last summer_ when he was visiting his Uncle Something-Something—"

"—and NO, he didn't lose it to his Uncle, MERLIN, _no_!" bellowed Sirius just in time, making the rest of them dissolve into peals of laughter.

" _I'm_ telling the story!" Remus mock-chided, nudging him hard in the ribs. Sirius winced, but grudgingly plonked back in the seat next to him, a sheepish smile permanently plastered across his face. "So, as I was saying," Remus continued gleefully, as if he had not been interrupted at all, "poor Ira only spoke French but apparently Mr. Suave Grande and her had a ' _great connection_ ', seeing as they were able to drop their pants to overcome the language barrier," he stated whilst shaking his head in mock disappointment in Sirius's direction. Isabella was dying now. She was laughing so hard, she was risking coughing up her intestines very soon.

Claiborne shook her head teasingly. "Ugh! The French!" she said while biting back a wide smirk.

Practically sobbing from uncontained laughter, Alice asked, "What happened to poor Ira _after_ that?"

"Well, let's just say I got off completely scott-free!" replied Sirius, laughing gleefully at his own story.

Several gasps, mostly from the boys, resounded around them. " _What the hell_?" asked a flabbergasted Edgar.

"Yeah, apparently she too wasn't looking for anything 'serious', _pun intended_!" said Remus, giving Sirius a playful death glare.

" _Damn_ , the French!" said Claiborne even more loudly now, making Isabella howl more than she ever thought was humanly possible.

" _And their legs_ , good MERLIN!" chimed in Sirius, grinning stupidly at a pair of imaginary long legs beckoning at him.

Still laughing, Claiborne flailed her hands frantically to get everyone's attention. "Okay, okay, I _have_ to know! Remus...?" she started, to which he responded by saying, "Yes, Clay?" whilst holding her gaze in the most idyllic way possible.

Isabella's eyes automatically searched for an invisible Lily to exchange glances with.

"Is there maybe just _one thing_ that only YOU know about one of them that the rest don't?" she asked, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

An excited silence fell around them as they waited for an answer. Remus, for some reason, somehow looked like he had finally chanced upon THE jackpot question of his life. "And here I was thinking this day would never come..." he stated dramatically.

James and Sirius gasped. "You can't be SERIOUS!" James bellowed from the side and nearly jumped on top of the table in excitement.

"Get a hold of yourself, James!" Isabella said in a half-chiding, half-teasing way.

" _Well_?" asked an eager Edgar watching Remus puff out dramatically and flexing his non-existent arms for the big showdown.

After a moment of thought, he curtly nodded to himself. "Well, ladies and gents, we have a winner," Remus declared.

"Who is it about?!" James demanded urgently.

"Ah, well, Peter's tale is a sad one..."

"It's about PETER?!" Sirius yelped delightedly. " _Why didn't you tell us_?!"

"Because he _begged_ me not to!" replied Remus, chuckling heartily now. "Anyway, it's a bit of a touchy topic, both for him... _and_ me," he said, growing suspiciously pale in the face.

"Shut up and SPILL!" grinned Sirius, having not touched a morsel of food on his plate.

"Patience, Pads! The build-up's important, you know?" he said grinning for full measure now. "So, you two remember his then girlfriend, Carlyn, don't you?" to which James and Sirius eagerly nodded. Sighing sadly, he continued. "Well, it happened on one fine sunny morning during Binns' class. There I was, minding my own business and taking down notes when something catches my eye. I turn to my right and find my boy, well, practically drooling on himself!"

"Nothing surprising there!" chuckled James, beside himself with eagerness.

"Anyway, I follow his gaze and realise he was actually gawking at poor Carlyn. When I asked him about it later after class, he tells me, he's convinced she was making 'eyes' at him."

"Oh, no!" started James. "Oh, no, no, no. Oh, poor Peter!"

Remus was almost bursting at the seams now. "I must say, though, our boy didn't disappoint!" he guffawed, much to their bewilderment. "Because, believe it or not, he actually _did_ manage to get her alone... into an _abandoned_ broom cupboard _..._ up in the _fifth floor_!" he said, speaking very slowly and giving them knowing looks, making James and Sirius gape back in utter and complete disbelief. The shock that weaved through them numbed them all mute for a whole minute.

"Unfortunately, for me, though, I was on Prefect duties."

"NOOOOOO!" howled the whole group at the same time while Claiborne exploded into laughter at the revelation.

"Merlin's pants, _I don't think I have the will to hear the rest_!" yelped Sirius, jamming his hands over his ears, while Remus and the rest of roared with laughter.

"WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?!" bellowed a hysterical James.

Remus shrugged helplessly. "Well, Peter claimed I should have 'recognised' his voice and not opened the door, to which I told him that never before had I heard him moan and had _no way_ of knowing that he was, in fact, ' _grandly climaxing_ ' when I... You know?"

The group of friends had nearly choked and died with laughter by now. No one even had the energy to listen to the rest of the sentence. "You are so funny!" wheezed Claiborne practically sobbing now. "How are you so funny?" she asked again, wiping her face with the back of her hand.

"I try," he replied, smiling broadly down at her red face.


	23. Shadow and Light

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait. Things were a bit crazy at my end. This will never happen again, I promise.

 **To all new Follows and Faves:** Thank you for reading my story, it means the whole world to me :)

Also, I hope everyone's well. Things are crazy right now, but I am sure we will fight it off. Stay home, stay safe. LOTS of love from India.

* * *

 **Chapter 23: Shadow and Light**

* * *

 _Unedited..._

These were strange times when nothing made sense.

Starting with the fact that girls (INCLUDING THE RAVENCLAWS) were actually falling for Sirius's gagworthy ' _I'm-one-half-of-the-Cursed-Pair-and-I-cannot-help-but-feel-only-YOU-would-complete-me_ ' line and agreeing to shack up with him at the drop of a hat!

Secondly, Isabella couldn't understand how Hogwarts was allowed to function so long without Dumbledore and MOST of its other important teachers despite being fully aware of a murderous mad wizard roaming the streets of London! To be fair, she got that this is was the most legal action Hogwarts had faced since its inception and damage control was totally necessary, but IT STILL FAILED TO MAKE SENSE. Regulus, Isabella heard, was being represented and backed by Walburga herself, and everyone knows what would happen if _Walburga_ asked for something, so some relief there.

Thirdly, the Magical world had been turned upside-down where everyone kept throwing out words like ' _Haden_ ' and ' _Ruddy Stone_ ' and ' _Cursed Pair_ ' and ' _Woldorin_ ' while never actually understanding what all those words really meant, leading to a slew of cooked-up stories and rumours, some even getting published in the Prophet!

And to nobody's surprise, ever since the 'vanish-and-miraculous-reappearance' of the five Gryffindor fifth-years, the atmosphere in the school had suddenly started to resemble the inside of a sputtering, billowing _pressure cooker._ Arguably, teachers had become awfully (and quite _unreasonably_ ) more suspicious of students missing from their seats during classes, even if they were legitimately just taking a leak! No one could loiter around empty corridors anymore simply because they _wanted_ to, and every little interaction with the professors, whether in class or otherwise, always felt like an interrogation of the WORST kind!

"Oh, dear Merlin, what have we done?" grumbled Isabella, just as Professor Abolet took twenty points off Gryffindor just because she thought Alice and Isabella's simultaneous sneeze was code for 'let's-unleash-the-giant-squid-on-the-Slytherins-tonight'!

"Trust me, I regard ourselves mighty lucky considering I had expected them to throw us into Azkaban for what we pulled!" Lily offered shakily.

"Mighty lu—you know what, this was all YOUR fault!" Isabella said grinding her teeth for full measure. "This was all YOUR idea and now I've lost twenty points for Gryffindor for NO fault of mine, d'you know what Tom would do if he found out?!" Isabella wheezed only short of screaming.

"Wh—calm down, Iz, all we have to do is shove Clarissa under his nose! The bloke won't know what hit him!" quipped Mary, flicking her head enough to make her strawberry blonde curls bounce after her only to invite a, "Oh, ha ha, yes, that's an _excellent_ plan, Mare, wonder why they haven't made _you_ the Minister yet?" Isabella shot back with a fake gasp.

The four girls turned back to their shallow bowls, having had NO luck whatsoever at the ink scrying exercise that Abolet had laid down for the class. A torturous half hour later, and after having lost thirty more points for their extremely poor performance in class, the girls walked out determined to do better at DADA at least.

The days seemed to gallop by so quickly in these trying times only a bullet would seem to travel slower, and Isabella was royally falling behind. And now, with Lily back from the Hospital Wing, every small thing was so unnecessarily blown out of proportion (tipping a whole carton of crushed lizard brains when the instructions specifically read ' _not a grain more than a pinch_ ' just because of an innocent _sneeze_ DOES NOT QUALIFY AS A ' ** _DISASTER_** '!) so much so that she was left with a permanent, bone crushing migraine! And if this made Isabella's already miserable life a living hell, the icing on the cake would have to be the constant smell of rotting onions wafting through the air and following them wherever they went in the form of Snape!

As if having telepathically read her mind, Mary too discovers him at the same time and let out a low gasp. "Good Merlin, is Snape still tailing you?" she asked nudging Lily.

"Huh? What?" sputtered Lily, shaking herself awake and looking over her shoulder. Rolling her eyes long and wide, she let out a sigh. "Yes," replied Lily in a voice of determined calm, except her nose turned a ghastly red at the mention of his name.

"Lily, do you REALISE how creepy this looks?!" said Mary, understandably sounding alarmed.

"What are you yelling at ME for, Mare? He won't leave me alone no matter what I tell him!"

"Do you want me to deal with him?" she growled, already starting to fold up her sleeves.

"What, NO!" trilled Lily, distractedly running her fingers through her mane of red hair. "Look, Mare," she started before Mary could even open her mouth, "I know this might sound bollocks to all you, but no one knows Sev like I do..." she said stopping dead in her tracks and fidgeting with the end of her robes. "He... He's actually the nicest person ever—"

"—Are you serious, Lily?" jumped in Alice, a murderous glare playing in her eyes.

"Yes! Look, I've been thinking a lot about what happened at the party and well, if he says he didn't intend for things to turn out the way it did, I'm going to have to believe him as his best friend."

Isabella's jaw dropped. "Lily, _please_ don't do this..."

"No, Izzy! At least _you_ must understand," Lily simply said and just for a brief second, their eyes locked. And in that instant she knew. She knew that Lily was nearly having an internal breakdown and she knew just how much her support in this matter meant to her. Of course, Isabella understood. Lily couldn't exist without Severus by her side... It would render her whole life irrelevant. And even as Mary and Alice exchanged looks of absolute horror and judgment, Isabella nodded reassuringly and mutely slung her hand around Lily's neck, needing no words at all to let her that know she understood.

And that's how Lily and Severus went back to being friends again after she met him post-DADA.

...

With three more essays added to her already burgeoning homework situation, Isabella resignedly made her way to the Great Hall for dinner because she realised this would all be rendered _pointless_ if she accidentally killed herself due to starvation. The second she plopped down next to Lily, however, two large hands grabbed her by the sides and shoved her sideways, making enough space for two large legs to swoop in and settle down.

"SIRIUS!" yelled Isabella and Lily at the same time, only to find him chuckling stupidly to himself.

When the girls continued to stare on looking unimpressed, however, Sirius finally decided to stop stuffing his face and address the problem. "What? _D'you mind_? I want to sit to beside good ol' Grumpy and you're kinda ruining it!" Sirius called out in Isabella's direction.

"I'm still not talking to you!" said Lily loudly, scowling hard up at him.

Sirius scoffed. "Ha, yeah! I like your confidence, but I also think you're WRONG!" he replied even more loudly, only to invite exasperated rolling-of-the-eyes from the onlookers.

At that moment, Isabella caught Claiborne's eye from across the table and instantaneously knew what she was trying to say: Lily was on the verge of breaking down again. Never before had Isabella seen Lily be this affected by a stupid boy (except Severus, of course) and never before had she watched Sirius try this hard to convince a girl; _the idiot had hounded her non-stop for two weeks and counting_! Stifling their smirks, the two girls mutely decided to focus on their own plate while leaving Sirius and Lily to battle this one out for themselves.

"You know what, Sirius, I don't have time for this..." huffed Lily and hurriedly stood up, seemingly willing to even abandon her food.

"And you think _I_ do?" he called back indignantly.

"So why DO you do it?!" screamed Lily.

"Because, I care about you!" he roared back. "You know what, we're settling this tonight once and for all!" he said and without waiting for another second, he grabbed a petrified Lily by the hand and started to drag her towards the tiny antechamber behind the High Table.

Isabella and Claiborne exchanged excited-cum-horrified looks before jumping up from their seats and running after the struggling duo.

"Sirius, STOP IT!" shrieked Lily just as they watched Sirius knock open the door and flick his wand to bring the candles alive. "So, start talking!" he yelled, pushing her into the now dimly-lit room. "Honestly, what does it take to earn your damned forgiveness, eh?" they heard him howl back through the open door.

"Just leave me alone!" cried Lily and before they knew it, she had burst into tears then and there. "If I'm such a handful, why do you even WANT to be friends with me?!" she sobbed, her face matching the colour of her hair now.

Isabella immediately leaped forwards, but Claiborne held her back by her robe and mutely shook her head.

Sirius seemed lost for words and simply stood there watching her with a pained expression. "Nobody thinks you're a handful—!"

"—Oh, yeah? Well, say that to Severus and James and we'll see what they say," she hiccoughed even as a fat tear trickled down her face. "Both of them _hate_ me—"

"—Well, then, they're both complete arse-fucks!" Sirius exclaimed.

Lily's eyes flew open in surprise, as she watched him fume on the spot.

"One is a total nutjob and the other is a bloody tosser if they don't realise you're all cuckoo only with the ones you give a _damn_ about—"

"Wh—?! I don't ' _give a damn_ ' about _Potter_ —!"

"—Yeah, keep saying that to yourself, Evans," he cut her in again. "Whatever helps you sleep at night," he spat out, pocketing his hands hotly. "And as to why I still want to be friends with you again is, well... Because, you're worth it; worth all the trouble," he said quietly, hardly looking up. "You're one of those girls that can be your best friend, will learn to walk on water for you, would save your life and be your WORST NIGHTMARE _at the same time_ , have more balls than James to call me a dickhead _to my face_ WHILE fixing up tea to discuss exactly how I ended up being the dickhead in said situation!" he barked out and paused to take a breath. "Basically, you're my constant, Evans and... I would be completely lost without you..."

Lily scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Stuff it, Black, you and I both know what this is about—"

"—This has nothing to do with James, Lily!" he said, nibbling on his bottom lip. "I'd want you in my life whether you agree to go out with James or not," he said and a dead silence followed that statement.

Lily's eyes had welled up again, only this time they were tears of joy. "You really mean that, don't you?" she asked before she could stop herself.

Sirius, though, didn't reply immediately and simply stood there in silence for a moment. "I always fancied having a sister growing up," he finally said, sounding NOTHING like his usual arsehole-self at all. And all of a sudden, there was a tiny lump forming in Isabella's throat.

Lily, for her part, was drowning in her own tears now. "Okay, Black, say the words," she said, finally wiping her face.

" _Honestly_?"

"MOST CERTAINLY!"

Sirius rolled his eyes and huffed petulantly. "Okay! Fine! _I'm sorry_! You were only trying to help Potato-Face and I shouldn't have..." he trailed off, pointing straight at Isabella.

"HEY!" Isabella called out even as Claiborne burst out laughing next to her.

And it took a second longer for Lily and Sirius to join in as well.

"So, are we cool?" he called out, sounding nonchalant once again.

Grinning widely up at him she replied, "Most certainly," and took his hand in a firm handshake.

...

Three days later, a sudden buzz had broken out around the castle and rumour had it that all the missing staff of Hogwarts, along with Regulus, would be returning to school around mid-day. And even if Isabella initially shrugged it off as a false alarm, a new announcement went up in the Great Hall during breakfast calling students of all Houses to assemble back here by one o'clock sharp for a 'feast' that had her second-guessing herself.

And sure enough, at a quarter to one, it was a sea of pointed black hats, as everyone flocked down to the marble staircase for the feast, and if everyone was being honest, to finally breathe a sigh of relief that Dumbledore would be back soon.

"Ah! There's my girl!" came the slow drawl of someone pushing right behind her and before she could even turn around to greet him, Lucius had pulled her into a tight bear hug from the back. Isabella, who was grinning from ear to ear, noticed Narcissa Black cast them dirty looks from two meters away and felt a guilty sense of pride that SHE too was able to get the ladies jealous. "You know what any of this is about?" he whispered in her ear, his hands still wrapped her waist.

"No clue, whatsoever, Lord Malfoy," she replied honestly. "And Lucius, are you sure you want to let the entire Snake population know you like spending time with a certain Lioness?!" she said, one hand pointing at herself and the other pointing at the herd of green spewing out of the circular entrance to the dungeons.

Giving his classmates a furtive look, he proceeded to whisper a very sarcastic, "Yeah, do I look like I care?" making her roar with laughter once again. "So, where's your girl tribe?" he asked casually.

"Oh, Clay was coming with Remus and Peter and Lily is right over there," she said pointing a little ahead of them, right when Ted Farley decided to sneer in his usual irascible way. "Oh, great! Now we're rubbing shoulders with these _filthy Mudbloods_?" he rasped, glaring specifically down at the tiny frame of Lily.

Lucius looked up at once and narrowed his eyes.

Isabella was stranded between Lucius and a bunch of Ravenclaws and was nowhere near Lily to take control of the situation which was why when Mulciber scoffed and said, "Like that's a problem! You can still make the most of it, y'know," and started massaging a pair of invisible melons in his hand, her jaw dropped to the floor in shock and indignation!

Several students who were watching Mulciber continue to molest himself broke into a roar of laughter, meanly pointing at a shocked Lily. It was evident that by now the whole school had heard about what had happened during Slughorn's party several weeks ago.

And just when Isabella thought Lily was going to bawl her eyes out for the second time that week, something amazing happened— _she SLAPPED him_! The sound of her hand crashing onto the side of his face was so loud that it rendered the whole Hall mute for a whole minute in surprise.

Shock and disbelief (and eventually anger) washed over the boys' faces as Lily stared them down as if ready to unleash the wolves on them!

"I will use my wand the next time," said Lily quietly, her face blazing like the sun, while Mulciber continued to glare down at her with murder in his eyes.

As if suddenly waking up from a reverie, the crowd snapped awake and broke out into loud murmurs once more and Isabella was forced into the Great Hall.

As soon she freed herself from the bone-crushing clutches of the mob, she hurried towards Lily (closely followed by Lucius) and nodded amazedly, her eyes still oozing respect and admiration for her best friend. "Exactly! _EXACTLY_ how you deal with knobheads like him! I'm so proud of you, Lil!" she yelled, throwing her hand across her shoulder and giving her a good shake.

"There's the bitch!" called out Lisa Fawley, another HORRIBLE excuse of a witch from Slytherin, a year above them. "You make sure she pays by BLOOD for what she did to Sebastian, Malfoy!" she barked, still nursing the side of her boyfriend's face. In all honesty, it was quite nauseating to look at.

Lucius, though, merely graced her with a fantastic sneer. "Piss off, Fawley," he muttered. "Merlin, I hate my own kind," he added before ushering Lily and Isabella towards their own table.

"Er... What are you doing?" Isabella asked timidly, surveying the curious stares they were already garnering from the audience.

"Making sure you two make it back to your table safely," he replied curtly.

Lily and Isabella exchanged glances of awe. "Wow, pretty sure this is the FARTHEST a Snake has ever travelled in the history of the Great Hall!" joked Isabella as they crossed the Ravenclaws.

Lucius snorted. "Funnily enough, you might be right about that, Williams," he replied with a smirk as the three of them continued to push through the horde towards the other end of the hall. As soon as they saw Claiborne waving frantically at them from around the middle of the long table, Lucius nodded curtly and turned to face the girls. "Okay, I'm not saying he didn't deserve that. I'm just saying you're in deep, _deep_ trouble," he breathed, looking especially at Lily. "The Mulcibers are some of the most vile and hateful people to ever walk the earth and even _Purebloods_ would think twice to stand up those foul creatures. All I'm saying is, from this second on, keep your eyes open, _all the time,_ " he said in his most 'no-bullshit' voice, to which Lily nodded nervously. "Take care of each other," he said, turning towards Isabella this time. "I'll see you soon, 'kay?" he added and, before Isabella even knew what was happening, he had quickly stooped down and kissed the left side of her cheek before turning around and storming off towards his own table.

"Wow," was all Lily could muster while Isabella simply stood there, frozen on the spot.

 _What was that about?_ she thought to herself as the two of them took their seats opposite Claiborne and the boys.

"Ah, young love..." murmured the ghost of Nearly Headless Nick, who had been watching the exchange mournfully from the sides. "What I'd do to feel the rush of blood in my veins again," he said, looking down at his own hands and making his head nearly roll of his neck.

Isabella scoffed. "For Merlin's sake, we're just _friends_!" she hissed his into face, before plopping down next to Lily still feeling an odd fluttering in her stomach.

The Great Hall was beautifully decorated with thousands and thousands of asphodel flowers hanging about the ceiling along with the floating candles while the sides of the high walls were lined with light pink streamers. Her mind was racing even as she sat, so much so that she missed witnessing the antechambers behind the High Table burst open followed by the trickling in of their absconding professors.

"Look, Dumbledore's back! Dumbledore's back!" Lily squealed while tugging at Isabella's hand, jerking her back to reality. "Oh, I missed him. Wonder what this is all about!" she continued even as Hagrid stood up to welcome back McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, Slughorn and Dumbledore.

Excited chatter filled the room, with many students even craning their necks to get a better look at their teachers. Isabella's eyes immediately searched for Sirius and found him sitting among the seventh-years, chewing on his bottom lip as if he was nervous.

Dumbledore, as always, stood tall and was smiling ever so kindly while the rest of the teachers took their seats on their table.

The girls watched Dumbledore whisper something in Sprout's ear before straightening up one more time, making the buzz of chatter cease at once.

"So!" started Dumbledore, smiling around at them all. "A feast in the middle of the year!" he said, holding his hands wide open and seeing each of them in the eye. "As rare as this may be, it was quite well-deserved, I must say, seeing as the staff of Hogwarts have won us all the legal battle against the Ministry. After an arduous five-week absence from the school, we have returned... with victory in our hands!" he smiled, and at once a light cheer went up from the student body. Isabella's eyes fell on the Slytherin table and found most of them simply rolling their eyes or mouthing profanities in Dumbledore's direction.

"There is a lot I would like to say to you all today, some of which would continue to get classified as an old wives' tale while others remain as true as an arrow to its aim." Everyone seemed to sit a bit straighter now, gripped by whatever Dumbledore was about reveal. "And if we were to start with the truth, it is this: that there _is_ a new Dark Lord on the rise."

A frightful whisper swept the Great Hall. Even Isabella shivered slightly. Because as much as everyone was aware of it, the fact that it got put into words like this on a forum in front of thousands of children _in a school_ made it seem somewhat more dangerous than what it really was. People were staring at each other in disbelief. Dumbledore, however, looked perfectly calm as he watched them mutter themselves into silence.

"Another fact is that, this Lord Voldemort—"

Another panicked murmur ripped through the hall at the mention of his name.

"—has a band of followers who are growing in numbers _even as we speak_. And this Dark Wizard cares about nothing but _his_ rise to power... Even if it means using young children as his pawns to run _his_ errands," Dumbledore's eyes were suddenly blazing. Isabella saw Sirius hang his head in angst at once and couldn't wait to hear the rest.

"Children as pure and innocent such as yourselves tend to believe _anyone_ who tells you they care about you and thus, stand to be easily manipulated... Influenced and controlled to do bad things, the consequences of which young minds wouldn't even be _aware_ of. The Dark Arts may excite some of you," he paused to look over at the Slytherin table just for a split second, "but the one who plays with fire ultimately would always be the one to end up getting burned. Which is why I would like to take this opportunity to ask each of you to believe in the Light no matter who tries to tell you otherwise, to have faith in the process even if it may inconvenience you in the short run and be reassured that no matter what, the Magical world _will stay strong_ _whatsoever_ , that truth will always triumph and that we do not, and will NEVER need, an autocrat—"

A rumble of gasps erupted from the other end of the hall and Isabella saw several Slytherins stir uncomfortably in their seats, shaking their heads vehemently at Dumbledore's ideas. Dumbledore, however, merely smiled.

"—There is an announcement about somebody else that all of you have seen less of in the past several weeks," Dumbledore continued, as if the growing unrest in the hall did not exist. "I wish to not get into the details but simply let you all know that Mr. Regulus Black was acquitted of all crimes and charges laid upon by the Ministry and will, starting Monday, resume school as per usual."

A loud cheer broke out across the hall with a couple of whistles and howls ensuing from the Slytherin table.

"As for the falsehoods, well," he spoke again, "the Four Hidden Kingdoms will continue to remain a myth—" Isabella and Lily exchanged awkward glances "—the supposed Founders' Heirlooms are a figment of imagination of an ol' wizard and we will never know if the Hadens existed at all," he smiled, his eyes twinkling brilliantly in the candlelight. "Which brings us to the legend of the Cursed Pair. As tempting as it would seem to believe in such a thing, I'm afraid, this too is a falsehood."

Isabella noticed several female heads from across Houses swivel around specifically to find Sirius in his corner on the Gryffindor table, making her snort internally.

Lightly clapping his hands he continued. "Now that all announcements are out of the way, I have just two words to say to you," Dumbledore said, smiling broadly at Sirius's red face, " _Tuck in_."

Lily swung her head towards Isabella sporting a rather shocked expression on her face. "Did Dumbledore just blatantly lie about everything?!" she whisper-yelled, making sure only the three of them could hear her.

"Of course! You don't want all hell to break loose, do you?" came Claiborne's voice of reason.

"But this is wrong!"

"That would have been wrong too!" Claiborne hissed back, silencing Lily entirely. "On the contrary, I'm shocked that he trusts _us_ this much with this information, imagine the mayhem this could lead to if shared with the wrong lot!"

"Clay has a point," Isabella nodded, even as the table filled with mountains and mountains of food around them.

Lily still looked unconvinced. "This is not right."

"It's not wrong either, Lil," Claiborne said before attacking her food.

"So, er... Are you and Severus back to normal?" Isabella asked as she realised she had suddenly fallen quiet.

"Oh, yes, yes we are!" gushed Lily, beaming down at her friends. "He was so touched that I had finally decided to put it behind me and apologised and apologised for the whole thing. It broke my heart... I—I know you two don't think too much of him but—"

"—Lily, _our_ opinion of him doesn't matter one bit!" Claiborne said fiercely. "We'd back you up no matter what you decide, so drop it, alright?"

"You're the best, Clay!" Lily said. "Anyway, I agreed to spend a whole afternoon with him this weekend so that we can catch up on everything that has happened these past few weeks. He has arranged for a picnic by the lake!" she announced happily. "It finally feels like we're back to how we used to be growing up in Spinner's End," she sighed, only, she didn't notice Isabella and Claiborne exchanging worried glances.

The feast was sumptuous feast; the hall echoed with talk, laughter, and the clatter of knives and forks—all was great except something had shifted in Isabella. She realised she kept glancing at the Slytherin table more often than usual and, for the first time ever, she almost always locked eyes with Lucius Malfoy.

...

The Gryffindor team's third and final match for the season was drawing close and Thomas was working the players extra hard. With Clarissa and Isabella not seeing eye-to-eye anymore, the entire team's game had taken huge hit and it worried Isabella a lot. It was clearly driving James and Thomas nuts to the point of going berserk and acting like headless monkeys on the field!

Sadly, there was no solace post practice as well. Because of Lily's stupid 'no-copying' rule, Isabella had given up sleep entirely and worked tirelessly well beyond three o'clock almost everyday—and she was ready to collapse.

Frustrated and exhausted beyond words, she threw her textbooks, parchments and quills into her backpack, stormed into the chilly evening and hiked up the grounds to the cosy little hut that stood in the midst of the pumpkin patch. One look at the thin smoke emanating from the chimney told her that Hagrid wasn't home yet. Huffing internally she walked up to brick house anyway, pushed open the door and flocked down his massive table. Something about the earthiness of the hut made her relax right away and put her recent musings behind her.

An hour or so later, she heard something huffing and puffing and padding its way up the hill on all fours. And before she knew it, the tiny head of an adorable black puppy hurrying towards her having picked up her scent.

"Fang!" she squealed, jumping up to her feet and scooping him up in her arms even as Fang tried to lick the skin off her face. "Aww, yes I missed you too, I missed you terribly too!" she cooed through gritted teeth. "Where's Hagrid? Should we go find Hagrid?" she asked him, still cuddling him in her hands.

"Wha'choo doin' here, Izzy?" growled Hagrid, smiling widely down at her.

"Hi, Hagrid!" she called back, settling back down in her chair with Fang on her lap. "Oh, nothing, I just wanted to be away from all the chaos just for a few hours. And also since I hadn't visited you in the longest time, I thought I might just pop in!" she said, even as he set down his massive tree-like spade. "I hope you don't mind..."

Hagrid waved her off with his large, dustbin-lid sized hands. "O' course! Yer welcome here anytime, yer know tha'!" he said, and immediately bustled around to make her some tea. "So tell me..." he said, placing the kettle between them and pouring her a whole jar of steaming hot tea. "Why are you really here...?" he asked, sitting back in his high-backed chair himself.

"What do you mean, I just told you—"

"—C'mon Izzy, yer have that frown on yer face and that ough' ter mean _on'y_ one thing," he said, wagging an enormous finger at her while taking a swig off his bucket-sized cup. "Wha' is it this time? Is it Black all over again—"

"—What? No! It's not about him this time," she confessed, sinking back in her chair while Fang continued to slobber all over her. "Black and I have actually shaken it off, if you can believe it," she said rolling her eyes. "No, it's about Lucius—"

"— _Malfoy_?" growled Hagrid, looking alarmed at the very least. "Izzy, _I've warned yer too many times abou' this boy_ —!"

"—HE DIDN'T ATTACK ME, HAGRID!" she howled hurriedly before Hagrid started imagining the worst.

Fang leapt off her lap and settled down by the fire, chewing on his bone.

Hagrid turned a brilliant shade of magenta and scowled petulantly at her before taking another massive gulp of tea. "Well, I'm ne'er trusting him around yer, that's fer sure," he declared, making her roll her eyes at him.

"He's one of my best friends, and I love him dearly... Except... Oh, well, I think I'm just overthinking this whole thing!" she exclaimed, rubbing her face in frustration.

Hagrid frowned suspiciously down at her. "Di' somethin' happen?" he asked, putting his tea pot down.

Sighing exasperatedly she decided to tell him even though it sounded _really_ stupid now that she was putting them down in words. "He pecked my cheek the other day..." she said and flinched at how silly it sounded even to her.

Hagrid, however, chose to react in a whole other way. Shaking his shaggy head, he looked her down most unforgivingly. "I knew i'. 'Tis wha' I've bin tryna tell yer all along, Izzy. Yer don' know about them Purebloods, wha' they're capable of. Do yer even know wha' Abraxas Mafloy'd do if he found out—?"

"—Find out _what_? Nothing's even happened and nothing's probably EVER going to happen! For all you know, I've just eaten my own brain over nothing—!"

"No yer HAVEN'T!" he said stiffly, now looking like a giant grizzly bear.

Isabella sat back, chewing on her lips and hating the whole idea of taking this to Hagrid.

"'Tis unfortunate, I know. Purebloods and Muggle-borns shouldn' have ter stay away from each other like this, bu' it is wha' it is, Izzy... Them Purebloods can' be trusted," said Hagrid after a moment's silence. "The two o' you can never be friends in this day and age, tha's for sure."

"So, what do you suggest I do?"

"Don' trust him jus' yet. The Malfoys aren' the type ter be nice ter someone outside their kind unless they stand ter gain somethin' from it."

Isabella decided she wasn't going to argue with him any longer and dropped the topic entirely. She knew Lucius more than anyone and she trusted him with her whole life and Hagrid didn't need to know that.

The two of them chatted away well into the night until it was time to say goodbye.


	24. The Tale & The Bargain

**A/N:** Staying home in quarantine means churning out chaps faster :) Hope you like this one as much I did writing it :)

Stay home, stay safe.

* * *

 **Chapter 24: The Tale & The Bargain**

* * *

 _Unedited..._

She watched the smoke wafting from her pipe and disappear into nothingness, reminding her that this was the ultimate truth for everything—that her sacrifices were not special, that ultimately, it was all for _nothing_.

The stillness that persisted in the house this very instant was so potent, it could smother one _dead_... Nothing moved, not even the pair of large brown eyes that watched her from the door, stalk still, and if she was being entirely honest, a little frightful.

She was not well, she was sure about that.

She had started to get sick ever since her mother decided to shove a five-year-old in a dungeon with no windows and no food for three days just because she had found her playing with a Muggle peasant's daughter in the backyard. ' _You're no daughter of mine!_ ' she had screamed before plunging her into an eternity of darkness...

The little girl had curled up into a ball and remained in that position for three full days, not even daring to cry lest the rats found her and ate her, even as her parents threw a grand ball for their kith and kin a level above, oozing with elegance and drinking wine as if all was just perfect with the world.

She was haunted by the nightmares from that dungeon ever since, so much so that she felt imprisoned in her own sleep, night after night. She could not, for the life of her, close her eyes and revel in the darkness, because the rats WILL find her... and eat her...

To this day, the horrors of that night remained as raw as the whiplashes on her back that her father had doled out every time she had cried.

Because, Blacks don't cry.

A Black never cries.

Walburga Black did not listen to _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ growing up. Nor _The Founders' Tale_ , no. Instead, her mother read to her from an ancient tome that emitted a faint smell of mildew and bound with faded gold— _Toujours Pur_.

Blood.

A word she understood intimately, even as a child... A word that made her who she was today. The word without which she was _nothing_.

She felt the familiar prickling in the corners of her eyes as the reality of those words ripped through her very core. _She really was NOTHING without it, wasn't she?_

Instinctively, however, her face hardened, trained to crush all emotions and feel nothing but pride. With a shaky hand, she wiped the tear off her face and turned towards Kreacher whose hands were now trembling with the weight of the tray he had held for over an hour by the door now.

"Place it here!" she barked out and the old elf obediently rushed forwards, dutifully following her instructions. She raised a perfectly lined brow, gritting her teeth in indignation. "Well?! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? _POUR ME SOME TEA_!" she shrieked, to which Kreacher gladly obliged with a, "Of course, my Mistress! Anything for my Mistress!" and sounded almost delighted to have been given a direct order by the Lady.

Right next to the tray lay the letter she had received from Sirius around Christmas last year, one that had deeply disturbed her. The words, ' _I'm not entirely sure you know WHAT your dear second son was actually invited to the the Lestranges'. Might you look into it a little? Quite sure you won't like what you hear,_ ' had played in her mind over and over again, and as much as she hated to admit it, Sirius never talked about things that _weren't_ true. Walburga knew that as the future Lord of House Black, Sirius _desperately_ needed to gain acceptance from their kind, or the Blacks would lose their stronghold among Purebloods. She had to ensure her sons were feared and commanded respect among their cousins and the only way to do it was by accepting invitations and attending high-end parties.

But Sirius had spat in her face yet again and when she had finally opened her door, only _one_ of her sons had returned home from the Lestranges'.

Her first thought upon seeing it was to draw his sleeve back over his forearm and deny that she had ever seen it. It must have been her imagination. A trick of the lighting. She would have to tell Kreacher to bring more candles.

But then, she looks up into his eyes only to find him brimming with happiness, with a sense of utmost accomplishment. Almost as if he had gone through all this trouble just for her; as if expecting his mother to _finally_ accept him, be proud of him. And for a second, she thinks she's looking at her oldest again. The son who loathed her for caring too much about him. The son she no longer had. The son who had died in her womb.

But no, this was Regulus. _Her_ Regulus. _Her_ Regulus with that mark on his arm!

The look in his eyes turned to one of confusion when, instead of pulling him into an embrace, she held shock in her stare.

"No!" she had whispered with deathly softness. And he knew, having spent years and years under this roof that for her to scream was a million times better than this sinister silence. "No!" she said more loudly this time. "NO! Not you too... _NOT YOU TOO_!" she had finally screamed, clutching her bosom and almost entirely losing track of time and space. Shrieking like the world had come crashing in on her, she had collapsed to her knees, screaming up at the Heavens for having played such a dirty trick on her.

" _NOT YOU TOO!_ " she had howled over and over, sinking her nails into her palms and wailing loud enough to bring the roof down.

"Mother! MOTHER!" Regulus had cried, terrified of his mother's reaction. "What did I do wrong?" he wept, but his voice was drowned by her incessant shrieks. "I thought you'd be proud of me... Proud of upholding our family name! _I only wanted to make you happy..._!" he had sobbed helplessly, looking perplexed at the very least. He had been lost... Shaken. It killed him to see his mother so pained by his actions, to watch her bawl her eyes out as if she had just lost her second child as well... He didn't understand... He had only done what he thought would finally bring back happiness for her—he had failed her yet again.

With tears streaming down his face, and scorching under his mother's raw hatred for him, the little boy had got down on his knees and wrapped his bony hands around her, hoping and praying that it would comfort her in some form. And the two of them had cried on the floor well into the night.

 _What had she done so bad to deserve so much sadness?_

Blinking back into the present, she took a sip of tea from her cup, her mind still racing, still mulling over how any of this could have happened, tearing open EVERY single detail trying to understand how things had gotten so bad. How could Sirius not see that she was only doing what was best for him...? _How_ did Regulus still not understand what she really wanted of him...?

Everything changed after that night.

Neither of them speak of the incident again, and as a way of distracting herself, Walburga set out on a project to find the perfect pureblooded witch for her younger son, pretending and lying even to herself that all was well. And Regulus never rolls up his sleeves again within Grimmauld Place; nor does he tell her where he goes night after night...

A dull trance crept up within her, plunging her into a state of floating while her eyes wandered over the ancient tapestry that was glinting and glimmering in the light from the candles.

The Black family tree. Her pride.

She scanned the tapestry lovingly, her eyes falling over every branch and every leaf that represented this ancient family. But then, her eyes fell on the name ' _Ixius Black_ '... and a cold shockwave ripped through her soul. As a Black, every child was mandatorily narrated one story over and over to educate them on just how powerful the blood of the Blacks was: _The Tale of the Sixth Knight_.

 _Several centuries ago, at the stroke of midnight, a child was born on the eighth day of the Sextillus month, finally ending the curse of stillbirths for Amorecia Black née Tripe. Amorecia was so terrified about losing her child yet again that mere hours after she had given birth, she picked up her infant and disappeared into the night with nothing but a blanket wrapped around his head. A heart-broken Licorus Black searched for his wife and son for several months to no avail, until finally, he was convinced that Death had claimed them both this time, and remarried her sister, Magenta Tripe. The two of them lived happily ever after._

 _What Licorus was not aware of was that, in a land far, far away, Amorecia lived in secret, nursing her newborn to health, homeless and penniless. When Ixius was ten years old, it was believed he ran into an old woman, bent double with age, who carried a mast for a wand. Legend has it that the old woman was actually a very powerful sorceress who immediately presented him with a tiny Clock and declared him as the Sixth Knight. She told him that the future of Magic lay in his hands and that, the day he presents his match with a ring, he ought to turn the Clock once and replace it at the heart of Woldorin in order to reverse the curse on The Pair._

 _To this day, no one has ever set eyes on such a witch, but it is believed that she would_ _one day_ _return to meet the Seventh and final knight, an encounter on which rests the fate of Magic itself._

The smell of tea caught in her nostrils and brought her back to the present. An odd fear crept up her spine as Phineas's words echoed in her head. Not hours after he had been born had Phineas walked into his portrait in Grimmauld Place and announced that Sirius would be the Seventh and final knight, having finally ended the curse of girls being born in the family.

 _You're going mad, Walburga!_ she scolded herself. _Your son is not The Pair, he is NOTHING!_ she screamed at herself, and swiftly got up, her expensive bottle green robes ruffling behind her. She hadn't taken one step when her eyes fell on something that flung her instantly into mad panic... There, beyond the fence of her house at the far end of the road, was the dark silhouette of a cloaked old witch, leaning on to her mast and watching her through her window like a hawk on its prey.

...

"That's it for today! Thank you, class!" screeched Elfbough at the end of a fantastic Full Body-Bind Curse lesson, followed by the usual scuffle of activity as everyone pushed their chairs back and packed their bags. "Also, anyone WITHOUT their essays on the origin of the Disarming Charm need not even bother sitting for the A.P.E.s because you _will_ be failed!" she added, prompting a loud round of groans from the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws.

Although Isabella hadn't been entirely successful, she had still managed to snap together Evanora Snow's elbows together that had earned her five points.

But there was one person who was even more proud of their performance in class today than Isabella. "Aha! Finally a worthy skill learned have I, after spending YEARS being scorned at my falls by mine own dear comrades!" cried a slightly deranged-sounding Mary as they stepped out of class.

Everyone blinked. "Is that supposed to be a poem?" asked a bewildered Claiborne as the girls watched her valiantly draw an invisible sword and brandish it front of her, as if ready to combat.

"More like a ' _monostich_ ', thank you very much!" Mary asked, melodramatically narrowing her eyes at her.

"Mare, are you alright?" asked Isabella, holding back a snort and watching the fiercely comical expression on her face.

"Silence! Come, follow me, gentle ladies, and I shall forever lead you to victory!" she cried, screwing up her face even more now, making it turn a deep shade of purple from the effort. Claiborne and Isabella exchanged glances, both seemingly bursting at the seams. "I foughteth bravely today—"

"—That's not a word, Mare—" Alice weakly offered.

"—Got wounded, but I am only an enchantier!" she bellowed.

"—She means 'enchanter'," Alice muttered to the others, pitifully watching her best friend massage the part of her hand where Roberta Raven had successfully cast the binds and nearly strapped it together.

"'Tis but a scratch—"

"— _A scratch_? She nearly tore your arms off!" Claiborne protested, her lips still twitching fiercely.

A pregnant pause followed that, when Mary turned dramatically to face Claiborne. " _NOBODY ASKED YOU, JONES_!" she finally screeched, only to make the rest of them finally burst out laughing until their lungs bled. Tears streamed down Isabella's face who was still chortling, when she heard footsteps approaching them. Looking up, she saw Sirius hurrying towards her, his face looking solemn.

"Hey, Sirius, what's—?" but he had already jogged up to her and grabbed her by the hand, muttering, "I need you, Izzy."

"Au revoir!" Mary cried in her direction, making her break into laughter yet again at her terrible accent. "If that boy messes with you, call upon Mary MacDonald, for I am your knight in shining armour!" she spat out with a comical _fold-like-a-book_ bow that had Isabella in splits!

"Yeah, don't hold thy breath!" Isabella called back, still grinning uncontrollably while Sirius merely rolled his eyes and continued to lead her down the corridor. Wiping her eyes and finally catching her breath, she realised they were heading towards the dungeons. Her eyebrows immediately scrunched together in confusion.

"Sirius, where are we going?" she asked, as they reached the first floor landing, only to receive silence from him. "Whoa, hold it!" she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him back, quickly sensing something was up. "What's going on?" she asked, scanning his features as they halted in the nearly empty corridor.

Sirius opened his mouth to say something only to end up sighing worriedly. "I... It's Regulus..." he said, hardly meeting her eyes. "He's back," he muttered, chewing on his bottom lip.

"Good heavens, finally!" exclaimed Isabella, but quickly realised why he looked so jittery. Their eyes met for just a split second and she immediately felt immense pain for him in her heart. Pouting apologetically, she mutely slipped her hands around his waist and pulled him into a warm hug. "You're being _ridiculous_ ," she simply said, smiling against his chest even as his hands gratefully curled around her neck, pulling her closer to him.

"Am I? Am I, _really_?" he asked, and she could literally visualise him sulking petulantly.

"Look, you just have to be gentle with h—"

"—I'm a dickhead, I don't do ' _gentle_ '."

"But, I don't think he'd want me there, Sirius..."

"Okay, now _you're_ being ridiculous!" he said, looking down at her.

Grinning uncontrollably, she looked up. "Fine, I'll come," she said, patting him reassuringly on the back and watching a flood of relief wash over his face. He gave her one last squeeze before muttering, "Thank you," against her hair and released her.

"Let's go," she said and took his hand in hers.

The two of them quickly weaved their way through the cold dungeons until they reached Slughorn's office.

It took a moment for the door to open and reveal Slughorn's large belly covered in deep violet robes with a fur collar before the light from the candles revealed his face. His great walrus moustache curved up in greeting upon seeing them. "Sirius, m'boy!" he boomed, scooping him up in a genial bear-hug, as if the two had shared a cradle together. "And here I was thinking I'd never have the pleasure of your company in my little office. Come in, come in!" he said, grinning broadly and ushering them inside. "Alright there, Miss Williams?" he added.

"Fine, thanks, Professor," she replied politely.

"Have a seat then, my dears, and I shall send little Regulus along," he boomed, before bustling out of sight into his quarters.

The two of them glanced at each other before gingerly sitting down in their high-backed chairs, waiting.

A moment later, the iron door rumbled open and out stormed a sulking Regulus, looking as savage as a hippogriff. "Look, I don't want you _BABY-SITTING ME_ , alright?!" he roared snarling nastily before stopping dead in his tracks, his eyes widening in surprise. Sirius and Isabella stood up at once, but said nothing.

Regulus's eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, and seemed fully taken aback. " _Izzy_?" he finally said.

"Hey, Reg..." she muttered, her eyes starting to water at the mere sight of him. Isabella was still at least two inches taller than Regulus, but it was evident that he had grown a great deal ever since his disappearance.

Regulus was an almost exact photocopy of Sirius except he wasn't as tall as him. He was lankier and his jet black hair was slightly longer. His eyes weren't the same stormy grey as his brother's, but a more greyish-blue in colour that drooped in the corners. The only other difference in their faces, perhaps, ought to be the absence of prominent cheek and jaw bones that made Regulus's face rounder than Sirius's, but nonetheless, he was still coldly handsome.

"You left me alone to deal with this knobhead. How _could_ you?" Isabella said mock-crossly, pointing at Sirius and trying to sound as casual as possible.

A scornful smirk cut across Regulus's face, that made him seem a lot older than thirteen. "Oh, he's a knobhead, alright!" he spat out, sneering hatefully in Sirius's direction but swiftly crossing the room and throwing his hands around Isabella. "How are you?" he breathed, his voice sounding gruffer than usual, smiling gratefully up at her as they broke apart.

"Alright," she said offhandedly. "And you?" she asked, noticing that Sirius had sank back into his chair, mutely watching the pair. _Told you_ , he mouthed vehemently at her when their eyes met.

"How do you think?" he asked, his face falling immediately. "Ashamed..." he said, staring down at his shoes. "I humiliated myself... Brought shame to the family... To mum," he mumbled.

"What, no! That's rubbish!" Isabella said consolingly. "Reg, your mother could never be ashamed of you, you saw how she fought for you with the Wizengamot, didn't you?" she said, shaking him up lightly by the shoulder.

"You don't understand, Izzy..." he said, finally looking up, his eyes bloodshot now. "I failed her," he mumbled, his lips twitching violently with emotion. "I did everything I could to keep her happy, let go of friends she didn't approve of, I dressed appropriately, went to ALL of those boring parties she took me to, _even joined the movement_ , look—!" he tore back his sleeve and Isabella and Sirius's jaws dropped open. It was a faint grey tattoo of a snake coiled about itself and spitting back at them in the most fearful way that made Isabella's blood run cold.

"Oh, my god, REGULUS!" yelled Sirius, bolting up to his feet and grabbing his hand. "What... What have you done...? What is this?" he asked perplexed.

" _Gerroff me_!" Regulus growled, tearing his hand out of his grip. "You have NO right to talk to me! Heck, you don't even have the right to breathe the same air as me—!"

"Stop it, Regulus!" hissed Isabella.

"Regulus, I'm your brother and the ONLY one that cares about your well-being—!" Sirius shot back.

"NO! You abandoned us, abandoned your family, you abandoned _ME!_ You're JUST as non-existent as father is, you're _JUST LIKE HIM_!" Regulus yelled, his face shaking uncontrollably with emotion.

" _How dare you_...?" stared Sirius.

" _I_ was the one keeping the family together while you were busy shacking up with your STUPID girlfriends and father was passed out in the study with a bottle in his hand and yet, _mum always loved you more_!" he screamed, his face contorted in rage. " _I_ had to be the sane one around a drunk father, an absent brother and a deranged mother!" he howled. " _I_ had to be the responsible one while each of you got to do EXACTLY as you please, so NO, Sirius, you don't get to tell me what is right and wrong!" he bellowed shakily, pacing the tiny room in unfathomable anger.

No one said anything for a while, and simply stood there, basking in the aftermath of his words. And she didn't even have to look to know that Sirius was seething in hurt, because, somewhere deep down he knew Regulus was right...

Isabella knew their family dynamic too well and, having known Regulus from even before he was born, it pained her to imagine the load he had brought upon himself from such a young age. The kind of maturity he was showing made him seem older than even Sirius sometimes.

"The fact that you know mum's cracked in the head and are still following her orders appalls me, Regulus..."

"Sirius, don't," Isabella cut in before Regulus erupted once again.

"Yeah, sod this, I'm done," muttered Sirius and sprang up to his feet and before she could stop him, he had stormed out through the door, slamming it behind him as he did.

Regulus's chest was still heaving and falling from having let out years' worth of pent up emotions and Isabella let him collect himself for a bit.

"Let's get some air," she muttered and coiled her hand around Regulus, leading him out through the door.

Several moments later, the two of them were sat at the Slytherin table with a cold chocolate drink in front of them, allowing the silence to linger on for a just a little longer. Isabella and Regulus had been extremely close growing up. Even as a child, he had always wanted to be on Isabella's team during games and loved taking piggy-back rides with her while Sirius and Angela plotted to break them up. But, as he grew up, he started to grow cold and distant with her until they stopped talking entirely.

"So, that's why you stopped talking to me?" she asked, taking a sip of her drink and feeling the chill down her throat.

"It made her unhappy," he simply said.

"A lot of things make her unhappy, Reg," she reasoned. "Look, I know you love your mother—"

"—You don't know _anything_ , Izzy!" he snapped back.

"But, I DO know that Sirius is worried sick about you!" she muttered severely. " _I'm_ worried sick about you! What have you got yourself embroiled in, Reg, this is scary—!"

"—No, Izzy, she's right! Magic has been _defiled_!" he argued back. "Dirty blood has streamed in and ruined everything! Witchcraft and wizardry used to be ten times more powerful centuries ago than now, and it's ONLY because schools like Hogwarts let Half-Breeds and Muggle-borns like you practice Magic..."

" _Are you listening to yourself_? Do you even SOUND like yourself?!" she chided, except she was not in the least offended by what he said. "Look, I know Sirius messed up but what you're doing is an OVER-correction in trying to get your mother's attention and not in the _least_ healthy, Reg..."

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Yeah, give me advice when I actually come to you for it, okay, Izzy?" he said, already rising up.

"I'm not trying to give you _advice_ ," she started, desperately beckoning him back to sit down.

"Look, I couldn't even convince Sirius about this, and I'm sure as hell not trying to convince YOU. You hate me, so be it!" he yelled and grabbed his mug off the table.

"Nobody hates you, Reg!" she called out, but he had already turned his back on her and walked out of the Great Hall with the drink in his hand, leaving her staring after him. She couldn't believe Regulus had already slipped through their fingers... He was already too far gone and she had NO idea how she was going to let Sirius know about it.

Ten minutes later, she was back in her Common Room and made her way straight towards a sulking Sirius who was sitting on the window sill in the hallway that led to the boys' dorms. Wordlessly, she took her place next to him, hanging her legs off the ledge too like him.

If he noticed her arrival, he did not show it.

Distractedly running his hand through his hair, he glanced curtly in her direction. "I'm a horrible... _Horrible_ person..." he started.

"NO, you're not!" Isabella said solemnly, swiftly cutting hims short. "No, you're not, Sirius... You're the strongest, _bravest_ person I know," she said, looking straight into face even as he looked ahead and avoided her gaze. "You could have easily become what Regulus has today, but you _didn't_. Despite the pressures from society, from your mother, _from your whole situation_ , you still knew right from wrong and stuck by it!" she said, blinking back hot tears. "You did it all _alone_ , Sirius... And you have NO idea how proud I am of you, how _grateful_ I am for that—"

"—No! NO! _Stop_ glorifying my crap, Iz!" he snapped, clearly more angry at himself than her. "STOP telling me I'm okay when I'm not!"

"Sirius..."

" _Nooo_! Regulus is right!" he spat out bitterly, drowning in mind-numbing guilt. "He... He shouldn't have to keep this family together when _I'm_ around..." he whispered, his leg shaking more than ever in agitation now. "It shouldn't have been _his_ concern that mum was losing her mind, because that should've been _mine_!" he muttered shakily, and all Isabella could do was stare helplessly as he fully lost control of his emotions. All she could do was watch her best friend punish himself for something that was never in his control, but what could she possibly say to make him feel better? How could ever make him feel better about something as sad as this...? "He's right, I am the biggest prat the world ever saw...! _I wasn't there for him_ —!"

"—Sirius, please stop!" she cut him. "Stop doing this to yourself because that is not true! You were _always_ there for him, Sirius!" she said, only to see him wave her off. "NO! You listen to me right now!" she said, slamming his hand down and staring fiercely at him. "You were ALWAYS there for him. Then _and_ now. _H_ _e_ didn't let you in and that was HIS choice!" she said stiffly, making him slump back in defeat.

The two of them fell silent and let the breeze blow on their faces for a while. And Isabella knew that, after this little chat with Regulus, Sirius was secretly blaming himself for _every_ little thing that was wrong with his family to the point of hating himself in the process.

"What do we do now, Izzy?"

"Nothing. There's nothing _we_ can do anymore. If this is what Reg wants, that's what he'd get."

Another silence followed that, as he let the reality of those words sink in.

"We've really lost him, huh?" he asked at long last.

Isabella simply nodded. "This is his choice... And the most supportive thing you _can_ do as his brother, is to let him go down the path of his choice," she said, taking his hand in hers.

Sirius's eyebrows shot up, looking mildly impressed. "Wow... When did you get this good with advice?" he said, nudging her lightly and making her blush awkwardly. A moment later, however, his face fell once again. "I do miss her," he suddenly said and looked down at her for the first time since she got there, his face etched with heart-wrenching sadness. "I miss her terribly—"

"—I know," she said, coiling her hand with his and resting her head on his shoulder, gulping down the painful lump. She had no idea how he did it, how did he not let himself go astray despite the _horrible_ living conditions he had growing up. How was there still so much kindness in him, so much joy and goodness despite having to deal with pure evil and malice day after day in that dungeon-like house.

And then it hit her. Hogwarts—Hogwarts was what saved him. The Marauders—his brothers—became his whole life. They kept him grounded, just like how they kept Remus grounded during his monthly transformations, and when they didn't get him, he leaned on and her and Lily for emotional support and that's why, friendship for him was so sacred. That's how he thrived in a household without the slightest semblance of normalcy for fifteen years...

"You're a good person, Sirius Orion Black," she said. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

She felt him smile from the side. "What would I ever do without you, Isabella Grace Williams?" he chuckled while discreetly wiping his own face.

...

~oO _**Later that night...**_

"Psst! Izzy!" someone hissed into the stillness.

Isabella's brain was telling her something important but she didn't know just _what_ to do... Should she get up? Should she continue rowing this fine boat in this fantastically still, blue lake? _Or should she think up strategies to somehow overthrow the fiery dragon and get into the high castle that was burning down to ashes_...?!

"Izzy!"

"Huh?!" she jolted awake from her bed and nearly rolled over the edge. "Wh... Wha... Wha's goin' o'?" she slurred, her head still spinning wildly from the shock.

" _Shhhhh_!" Lily hissed crossly. "Get up! We have work to do!" she whispered urgently, tearing open her blinds as noiselessly as possible.

It took her a full minute to shake herself awake and realise exactly where she was. The pristine blue lake had disappeared and the tireless old monster of a dragon was nowhere to be seen and, quite sadly, she was back in her bed, with a very eager redhead and blonde sitting next to her.

"What's going on?" she asked, sitting up straighter now.

"Midnight Mission!" Lily said, in a determinedly calm voice. "Hurry up, we're wasting time!" she whispered and the three girls bolted out at once. Isabella rummaged in her trunk and pulled out an oversized grey zip-up sweater and paired it with a tight body-hugging blue jeans watching Lily pull a red jumper over head, while Claiborne chose a simple white top and grey jeans. Quickly slipping into her trainers, Isabella grabbed her wand and the three girls quietly slipped out of their dorm leaving a sleeping Alice and Mary behind.

Ten minutes later, the three of them were sat opposite four _very_ suspicious-looking boys on James's bed with the blinds on, a _Muffliato_ spell around so they don't wake up poor Edgar and light emanating from the tips of their wands for effect.

"Let me see if I've heard this right..." James started, his eyes narrowed to the point of them now being mere slits. "You want my... _Invisibility Cloak_...?" he asked, dislodging his jaw quite dangerously as he did.

"That is correct," Lily nodded curtly and the two of them continued staring each other down in this late-night fake mafia trade-off. "State your terms, Potter," she added, watching him through the bridge of her nose.

James looked at Sirius and Peter and pretended to mind-read their thoughts before nodding dramatically to himself. "I want to know WHY you need it."

"Overruled," she immediately said, sitting up straighter. "That's top secret."

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this, mate" Remus muttered, surveying her very carefully and pursing his lips in mock-distrust. "The only reason she _doesn't_ want to divulge this fact is if she's planning something EXTREMELY illegal and doesn't want me, a _fellow-Prefect_ to know about her rule-breaking ways!" he whispered dramatically, immediately sending James, Sirius and Peter gasping in revelation. Isabella and Claiborne exchanged nervous glances— _this was not going well_!

"Look, you can't ask us why we need it, but you _can_ draw up a bargain!" hissed Isabella sensibly, making the boys get into yet another of their ridiculous mind-reading sessions, before all four nodded in agreement.

"Go for it, Prongs," muttered a shirtless Sirius, except he was having trouble keeping a straight face. "You're our soldier," he smirked. "Bargain the crap out of her!" he guffawed, finally losing control.

Lily still sported a determined calm while James nodded solemnly.

"Okay, Lily, you want to make this real? FINE! I will give you my Cloak IF..." he paused dramatically for effect, "we can accompany you on this Mission!"

"Rejected. This is a Girls-Only Mission!" she retorted most professionally.

" _Fine_!" he mumbled irritably. "Aha! I've got it! I will give you my Cloak IF you use it to hex Snivelly _in the balls_!"

"If you're trying to find out if my mission concerns Severus, I walk!" she hissed back.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey! Easy there, Tigress!" James smirked, clearly enjoying himself more than he should. "Fine, you can have the Cloak for _one hour_ if you agree to lend us your homework for thirty days."

"Three hours and _one_ day."

"TWO hours and _fifteen_ days."

"Two and a HALF hours and _five_ days and one prank on Severus."

Sirius nearly choked to death at that proposition from Lily. "Mate, TAKE IT!" he hissed violently, "Not quite, Pads!" James hissed back and held his hand up. "Two and a half hours, _ten_ days and THREE pranks."

"Three hours, two days, _one_ prank and one Wizard's Chess match."

James raised a confident eyebrow, seemingly amused and impressed at the same time. "Two and a half hours, five days, one Wizard's Chess match and _one hex_ from you on a Slytherin DURING Transfiguration!" he hissed, excitedly leaning forward.

Lily rolled her eyes. "You're pushing it, Potter," she said coldly.

"Shut up and take it," James replied, challenging her in the most sexy way ever that it brought an instant blush to her face.

Shaking off the butterflies, she exhaled, her face working fiercely to remain cold despite the smirk that was bursting at the corners of her lips. "Fine. Three hours... Three days..." she said, considering her terms carefully, "no match, but TWO pranks, NO HEX but I would help you orchestrate _one_ flooding of the girls' bathroom."

James shook his head curtly. "Nope, sorry," he said, inhaling deeply and displaying a rather exaggerated feeling of regret on his face. "We've done that too many times and it's in our rules, Rule Number Four, ' _Thou shalt not pull the same prank TWICE_ '!"

"Oh, come on, Potter!" Lily hissed violently. But when she realised he was not budging, she rolled her eyes yet again. " _Fine_! Three hours... _Three_ days..." she started again, her mind racing for ideas, "No match, but TWO pranks, NO HEX _but_..." she said, pausing dramatically, "ONE potion exchange during class!"

James scoffed. "Evans, please," he started, appalled that she would even consider something as menial as this. "Have you forgotten you're dealing with _geniuses_ here? We can handle _potion-making_ quite fine, thank you very much!" he guffawed and rolled his eyes nice and wide for emphasis.

Lily sighed in frustration and threw her head back exasperatedly. "FINE!" she roared, as if _finally_ preparing herself to give him her all. "Three hours, three days... No match, _two_ pranks... no hex, BUT..." she paused, and glanced nervously at Isabella and Claiborne who egged her to go on. Sighing nervously once again, she winced and finally said it in one breath, " _One_ hour in the library... Just you and me."

A collective gasp went up as the rest of them swung their heads in her direction in SHEER INCREDULITY. "Is she that desperate for a stupid _Cloak_?!" whispered Remus more to himself than anyone, even as Isabella's hand flew to her mouth.

James though, merely sat there, taking in her tiny frame in a cold stare, dumbstruck beyond belief at what she was offering. Raising yet another arrogant eyebrow, he leaned forward slowly, chewing on his left cheek and obviously working VERY hard to seem as casual and nonplussed as possible, while completely burning under Lily's gaze. Exhaling silently, he looked her straight in the eye this time. "Three hours... _No match, no pranks, no hexes_... BUT..." he paused, his hand shaking ever so lightly in nervousness, "I need _one_ hour in _Honeydukes..._ Just you and me..."

Isabella's jaw dropped.

And Lily looked like she had just been dunked into a bucket of cold water!

"And Izzy and Clay aren't allowed to be within _twenty feet_ of where we're sitting..." James added, staring her down most deliciously. Isabella was almost tempted to applaud at James's tact... That was SO smoothly done, he put the _BUTTER_ to shame! The rest of them exchanged nervous glances quite unsure how Lily was going to respond.

Lily, though, had to chew on her lips to keep herself from blushing furiously. Drawing in another breath, she leaned forwards too, leveling up with his face, desperately trying to retain the upper-hand in this trade-off. "Final offer..." she breathed. "Three hours, thirty days. Take it or leave it," she said, curling her lips to stop herself from smiling.

James, who was now smirking uncontrollably to himself, leaned back, lazy arrogance oozing from every inch of his body. "Really, Evans?" he asked, still challenging her with a raised brow. "You can't handle ONE hour with me?"

"I'd rather be eaten by a Griffin," she replied, folding her hands across her chest.

"Even if I pointed out the ' _fact_ ' that you are TERRIFIED of spending _one hour_ with me... Because you know that's _all_ it would take for you to fall head over heels for me?" he smirked, the cocky bastard.

Lily wasn't even trying to hide her blush now, as she sat there fully avoiding his stare. "Do we have a deal or not?" she asked coldly, except she was smiling uncontrollably to herself.

James, the cocky bastard, leaned forward, forced her face up with the tip of his finger, stared deep into her eyes, and sighed silently. "I would've agreed to just _one day of homework_..."


	25. Whiff of Perfidy

**A/N:** Okay, firstly. _**KitaandOpie**_ : Thank you SO much, your review nearly had me in tears... :') I generally hate long A/N's and don't like asking for reviews and likes 'cause obviously, ' _you write for yourself and not for validation_ ' and all that crap, but I must admit, it does make it SUPER worth the while when I hear back from my readers. And to know that I haven't bored someone to death with this story came as such a relief, so THANK YOU! I really do love you tons! =)

And _**Love. Fiction. 2020:**_ This one is for you! :)

Secondly, nothing. Just hope everyone likes this chap right here.

* * *

 **Chapter 25: Whiff of Perfidy**

* * *

 _Unedited..._

The next day, Isabella woke up with a sinking feeling in her stomach, one that made her almost nauseous... Because, never before in her five years within these walls had she pulled something this BALLSY ever. _Ever!_

After the little bargaining session in the boys' dorm, the three girls had collected the Invisibility Cloak from James (who made sure he started the timer on Isabella's Muggle stop-watch the second the Cloak hit Lily's hand) and set out into the night even as the boys tearfully bid them goodbye at the entrance of their Common Room. The girls had hiked all the way down to the dungeons and, just as planned, Esmeralda Blishwick, a fellow fifth-year Slytherin was waiting by the door doing her nails, so as to make it look as innocent as possible. As soon as she heard the word, ' _Peaches_!' (which was code for they have arrived) she had jumped up to her feet and surreptitiously led the girls down a long corridor until they reached a bare stretch of wall that looked innocent enough until she had muttered the words, " _Blood Loyalty."_ Almost immediately, the stone bricks had started to rumble and shuffle and fold unto themselves until a small archway started to appear which grew and grew in size till it was wide enough to admit three students at a time.

As soon as they had crossed the long tunnel and entered the enormous gothic-looking Common Room, Esmeralda had quietly headed down to her own dorm while discreetly pointing in the direction of the boys' dorms. Isabella had kept an eye on the watch while Lily and Claiborne proceeded to painstakingly choose their spells and cast them on the unsuspecting select group of fifth-, sixth- and seventh-years (the sole exception for this had been Lucius, Severus and few other lads who, quite frankly, really were quite nice as people). By the time they had completed their task, the three of them were exhausted and had just over six minutes left before their time with the Cloak came to an end. To this minute, Isabella didn't know just HOW they had made it back on time, because James, the plonker, had been wistfully waiting in the Common Room for them, _wide awake at half past four_!

Snapping back to the present, she rubbed her tired eyes and pushed herself up on her elbows and noticed Mary, Alice and Lily happily chatting away by the window. Looking to her left, she saw that Claiborne, too, going through a mental breakdown just as she was, making her grin to herself. She quickly slid off her bed and slumped down next to Claiborne.

"What's gotten into our friend, eh?" she whispered in Claiborne's as the two of them watched Lily humming and brushing her hair as if she had indulged herself in NOTHING unusual at all less than two hours ago!

"I dunno," Claiborne muttered back. "Should we be scared...?" she added. "Because, I've read somewhere that pyschopaths, too, lead a VERY normal life laughing and chatting up with friends, but before nightfall, they will have murdered someone and drank their _blood_ for dinner, _just 'cause it was_ CHRISTMAS..!" she trailed off, not even realising that Isabella was doubled up laughing her lungs out.

"Well, I sure as hell didn't know I was going to become friends with one psycho killer dressed up as a nerd and another neurotic _maniac_ dressed up as Cinderella!" guffawed Isabella, still grinning uncontrollably.

"Ooh, is Cinderella pretty?" asked Claiborne, fluttering her eyelids dramatically at Isabella making her roll her eyes at her dense friend. "Well, I just hope last night's plan doesn't backfire in our faces..." Isabella said, resting her tired face on Claiborne's shoulder and gulping down her own worries, even as Lily hopped towards them, looking eerily happy.

" _Nothing's_ going to backfire on us as long as we remember to _keep a straight face_!" she hissed gleefully, before turning back to the mirror and joyfully brushing he hair.

Isabella and Claiborne simply blinked back at her. "You're right, she _is_ mental!"

Thirty minutes later, the three of them nervously made their way down nearly empty corridors as it was still way too early in the day (the plan was to avoid having ANY confrontations with the Slytherins as possible). However, a sudden dread descended on all three of them as they drew close. Because, they had only just reached the top of the stairs when they knew what was waiting for them beyond the double doors: a cluster of black and green robes could be seen standing at the head of the Slytherin table... Chatting and laughing... And seeming exceedingly _normal_...

 _What in the world...?_

A slow panic sank into her, because everyone seemed perfectly fine which definitely _ought not_ to be the case after what they had done last night... Almost immediately, her heart started to pound against her ribs causing her breaths to come out in short rags, because it was possible that their plan had INDEED backfired on them.

"Oh my god, Lily..." she started.

" _I know_! Just... Stay calm and follow my lead, okay?" Lily muttered back and bravely climbed down. Isabella and Claiborne exchanged horrified looks at their deranged friend; shaking off her anxiety, she took Claiborne's hand in hers and the two of them followed Lily down the stairs. The Slytherins had timed this beautifully, because it was still _too_ early for the teachers to arrive and the hall itself was sparsely populated, ensuring absolutely NO interruptions whatsoever...

The sound of their shoes knocking against the cold marble echoed through the hall making several heads turn and look up—and the second their eyes fell on the girls, an unfathomable glee cut across their faces, malicious enough to make one's blood run cold...

"Ah! Look who we have here, lads!" called out Adrian Pelleret, contorting his face to what he thought was 'gangster-like', except it made him look pretty heavily constipated. "The fine birds of _Gryffindor_..." he sneered, while his bunch of cronies chuckled trollishly behind him. Lucius, who was sitting right in the middle, tensely rubbed his forehead in frustration. It was evident that he was merely sitting and chatting casually with the bunch to make sure he would be present if the gang did pull something on the girls.

The three of them anxiously neared the double doors and pretended not to hear them sniggering on the side and feverishly walked on.

"Well, you know what they say..." grinned Pollux Emberpike, rubbing his cheek thoughtfully while gracing them with one his dirtiest, most sordid looks ever, making a slight colour rise up Isabella's face, just as Mulciber and Crabbe jumped off the table and stepped forwards, so that they were now right in front of them, blocking their way... "A Gryffie bird is either just gagging for it or is _pathetically_ vacuous. Which do you think this one is, eh?" he asked, sneering at Lily while stupidly licking his lips.

Lily tugged them both close to her. "Look, we know these blockheads, they're merely spineless _gits_ who love to throw their weight around and terrorise us into submission!" she whispered feverishly into their ears. "Just... _Ignore them_ , _alright?_ " she added, except she herself looked close to having a heart attack.

"Look... Y-you're blocking our way..." Claiborne breathed tersely at the boys, clearly terrified out of her mind at how ominous they looked.

"Ooh, this one talks too!" sneered Harley Crabbe, running his hands through his hair and smirking widely down at her. "Reckon, she's the prettiest of the lot, eh, boys?" he asked, grinning densely at his friends. "Well, at least she's a Pureblood!" he said, hi-fiving a delirious Ted Farely on the back.

"Shut up, Crabbe," Lucius muttered, his face already hardening up.

"STAY... _OUT OF THIS_ , Malfoy!" Crabbe growled back immediately, before glaring menacingly down at him. "I'm just here to help Mulce and teach them a _lesson_..." he said, grinding his teeth for full measure now. " _We_ ," he said, gesturing at the whole group of boys, "need to make sure that this stupid excuse of a Muggle-born ' _witch_ ' understands the _rules_..."

"And what might they be, pray tell?" Lucius slurred, his face mere inches from Crabbe's.

Crabbe sneered, his lips twisting menacingly with joy. "That she can't just go _slapping_ people's faces!" he ground out. "That no Muggle-born would ever be our _equals_... That their place..." he paused, moving his face closer to a livid Lucius's, "is lower... than a filthy _house_ - _elf's_!"

" _YOUR_ arse is lower than a filthy house-elf's, you follically-challenged, dung-eating _LOBCOCK_!" roared Lucius, pushing Crabbe's face viciously to the side only to get grabbed roughly by the front of his robes by Mulciber.

" _D'you mind_ , knobhead?!" he growled into his face, glaring manically into his eyes. "Utter another word and you'll be SORRY, Malfoy!"

" _YOU WISH_!" Lucius roared before slamming his hand against his throat, his wand mere inches away from a terrified Mulciber's eye. Several petrified gasps went up in the air. "Malfoy, let him go!" yelped a terrified Lily, but Lucius didn't care. "It wouldn't take me _two seconds_ to gouge your tongue out and feed it to my pet knarls, you slimy son of a BITCH...!" he spat into his bewildered face, looking about ready to skin him alive, while Mucliber sported an expression that was a combination of terror and sadistic glee.

"Wh... Wha's the matter... Malfoy?" stuttered a crimson-faced Mulciber, choking and spitting at Lucius. "You bangin' one of them?" he spat out laughing, making Lucius tighten his grip around his neck. "Must... tell... daddy about it... shouldn't we...?" he croaked out, determined to push all his buttons, while the rest of the boys roared with laughter, jeering at Lucius.

" _Why, you little_...!" Lucius started.

"Lucius!" Lily called out more loudly this time. Lucius didn't respond and continued to bore into Mulciber's face, his wand never once lowering. "Lucius, _please_! Let him go!" she screamed.

"NO! _You don't know this arsehole like I do_...!"

"I DO!" she screamed back, cutting him short. Lucius's head jerked up, looking baffled at the very least at her reaction. "Trust me, we can handle him. Let him go..."

" _Williams, would you please talk some sense into her_...?"

"LISTEN to her, Lucius," Isabella said quietly, and this time, he was rendered truly speechless. A deathly silence had fallen across the hall and every eye in the room was trained on this commotion.

"We _can_ handle him..." Isabella repeated quietly, making him finally realise something was up. She blinked her eyes once giving him a knowing look, and his grip immediately loosened on Mulciber. Still looking extremely confused and uncertain, he let him go, wand still gripped tight in his hand.

Sneering wildly, and sending death glares at Lucius as if asking him to await DIRE consequences, Mulciber grudgingly straightened his robes and turned towards at Lily, looking full _psycho_ now. "So, where were we, redhead?" he barked, pulling out his wand and rounding up on the terrified girls. "Someone mention something about a wand the other day?" he asked, grinning and scowling at the same time that even Lily looked terrified out of her mind now. "Well, bring it on, doll-face! Show me wha'choo got!" he whispered.

"Careful, Mulciber," Lily muttered, bravely stepping closer to him. "Because I intend to break you SO bad, _Madam Pomfrey_ wouldn't know what to do with you!" she spat out.

"Ooh, not as dainty as you look, are you, Sugar Quill?" he sniggered, almost as if he was turned on by her trash-talk.

Lily scoffed. "Surely not as stupid as YOU are... _Dungbrains_!" Lily bellowed, arching an eyebrow.

Mulciber's eyes widened in shock. " _HOW DARE YOU_?!" he roared, even as a streak of rage shot up his spine, his face quivering uncontrollably. "Oh, you're _SO_ going to pay for that, YOU FILTHY _MUDBLOOD_!" he yelled into her face, but she merely smiled triumphantly, because not _second_ later, his eyes suddenly popped out of its sockets and his hand flew to his throat, making him sputter and gulp and gurgle and twitch until he had turned purple in the face with the effort! A loud gasp went up from the onlookers while Lily simply relaxed watching him wave wildly at his alarmed friends, desperately pointing at his mouth and trying to tell them something important. Only Isabella, Claiborne and Lily knew that Mulciber's tongue had glued itself to the roof of his mouth the second he had uttered the that highly derogatory word making them break into stifled sniggers, while the boys continued to watch him gag, confusedly scratching their of heads and sporting looks of mortal peril.

"Mate, what... What's the matter?" Ted Farley growled anxiously even as sounds of a light sniggering from around the hall reached their ears. "What's happened?" he whispered into Mulciber's face. "Did the Mudblood cur—cuh... ish... sh... fwah... buh-blish... v-v-v-vog... k-kki-kik-kuh..." sputtered Ted, suddenly unable to make coherent words anymore! Isabella finally burst out snickering, unable to keep it together no longer and discreetly hi-fived a white-faced Claiborne on the side, even as the rest of the boys fearfully started to step away.

And soon enough, a loud laughter erupted from the hall as they watched the two boys struggling to even stand up straight now having gotten fully consumed in fear! While Mulciber couldn't even make sounds, Ted was now babbling gibberish non-stop, having NO control on his mouth whatsoever! Ted's uncontrollable jabbering was SO funny, Isabella watched students laughing clutching their stomachs, looking positively flushed and on the verge of losing their minds entirely!

Smirking triumphantly, Lily turned towards the rest of them, making them all jump backwards in fear. "So. Anyone else has anything to say?" she asked, raising her eyebrow confidently. "Any more _names_ you'd like to call us?! _Anyone_?!" she barked out, smiling fiercely up at them and folded her hands across her chest. "'Cause I'd VERY much like to see you _try_!" she shouted, her eyes blazing fire at them all. "Detention for three weeks, ALL of you!" she roared and paused, "Not you, Malfoy," she added and stomped off towards the Gryffindor table even as a loud cheer and applause broke out across the hall, some Ravenclaws even whistling exuberantly at the redhead.

"See ya!" Isabella called out scornfully, grabbing Claiborne's arm and jogging after Lily, just in time to catch Lucius's happy grin.

- **O** -

That morning's incident had spread far and wide like wildfire that, in less than an hour, the whole school, including the Professors, had heard about it. It was a Slytherin's WORST nightmare to get taunted and jeered at in corridors by practically everyone that set eyes on them, making them want to hurl themselves off a cliff! The beauty of the prank was that, no one had a clue just how many of the Slytherin boys (and girls) had been cursed and how long this curse would last, turning the Snakes into a collective ball of trembling mess! People started to suspect some of the girls too may be cursed, because Lisa Fawley's ears suddenly seemed to have doubled in size, making her shriek her lungs out and run to the Hospital Wing. When she had returned to class fifteen minutes later with the announcement that Madam Pomfrey found NOTHING wrong with her, Isabella swore she saw Lisa mouthing ' _BITCH!_ ' in her direction and almost instantly, her ears grew a little more, and this time even the boys noticed something was wrong with her face!

Professor Abolet was especially livid that her class was constantly distracted while she taught them the importance of Osteomancy that she took away five points for every student present in the class before storming out of the room. And while the rest of the school rejoiced this sudden shift in dynamic among the Houses, the Gryffindors especially had such a great time watching the green-robed boys hide their faces and jog away from big gatherings, that an announcement about an OPEN secret party in the Gryffindor Common Room was made, inviting one and all, ' _House-no bar_ '.

Still reveling in all the attention they were getting from the Claws and the Puffs, the girls walked out of Muggle Studies and towards the Great Hall for lunch.

Peter, Remus and Claiborne clumped together as usual while Sirius broke away from James and jogged over towards Isabella. "You HAVE to tell us how you did it!" Sirius hissed excitedly in Isabella's ear, slinging his hand around her neck and giving her a good shake. Looking up into his face, it suddenly felt as though he had grown over an inch taller overnight, making him seem bigger than usual! "Please, please, _please_!" he begged, quite unable to stop his grin.

"Did _what_?" asked Isabella, teasing him even more. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

Sirius scoffed and rolled his eyes. " _Don't get cute_!" he muttered, making her grin uncontrollably. " _PLEASE_? I promise to write your essay on how to brew a Strengthening Solution, I promise, I promise, I promise!" he said, practically jumping on the spot now.

"Why are you asking _me_ when the Mastermind of this plan was Lily?" she asked, watching him walk backwards and smiling down at her.

"Because, _Grumpy won't tell_!" he pouted, and sulkily swung his bag around his shoulder while scrunching his eyebrows as if figuring out other bribing options that she would fall for.

The cheery sounds of hungry students reached their ears when they walked through the double doors. And for the first time ever, the Slytherin side of the hall was exceptionally quiet, as if the whole House was now terrified to utter anything out of line! And much to Isabella's surprise, Lisa's ears had grown so much in just the last two hours that they were now nearly as big as an elephant's, forcing her friends to sit at least two feet away from her on either side! The look she graced Isabella with, however, was priceless when she burst out laughing till her stomach hurt.

"You know what, you leave me with NO choice!" cried Sirius even as the fifth-years took their seats around the table. Lily and Remus immediately pulled out textbooks and parchments and set out to work-and-eat at the same time while Claiborne was busy inking in the day's moments in her mind-reading journal, humming a song under her breath.

Sirius, for his part, looked on _baffled_ at the fact that no one practically gave a damn for he had said just a second ago and huffed and puffed till he was blue in the face. "I'm going to... Well... Oh, I'm going to do... _something_... SO spectacular... it will bring you wretched witches to your KNEES...!" he bellowed theatrically.

Still no response.

"Oh! OKAY! Ignore me now!" he called out stiffly, even as Claiborne and Peter argued about who deserved to get the last piece of pudding on the table. "Ohhh, it will be so much fun watching you all BURN when I sneak into your dorms and pour ink _all over_ your homework...!"

"...I don't think anyone's listening to you, Pads," muttered Remus, not even having the courtesy to look up from his book.

"Exactly! _They're not even listening to me_!" he wailed dramatically and slumped next to an oddly quiet James. "I JUST want to know how they did it, is that such a big ask?!" he grumbled, collapsing on James's shoulder and resembling a giant baby chimpanzee now.

Remus finally looked up from his copy of _Curses and Counter Curses_ and graced him with a _God-why-don't-you-ever-SHUT-UP_ look. Sighing as if he was going to regret this big time, he set his book down and spread his hands out helplessly. "Clay, for the sake of humanity, could you _please_ tell me how you did it?" he simply asked, sporting a slight smile.

"Oh, why, SURE!" she replied with an exaggerated nod of her head, while ignoring the look of utter disbelief on Sirius's face. "I'd be MORE than happy to, Remus!" she said, batting her eyelashes sweetly at a murderous Sirius. "I mean, I am SO glad someone actually asked about this, we've bee DYING to talk about it all day!" she added, speaking in a particularly high and dramatic voice, prompting all sorts of vile expressions to break out on his face.

"Not cool, Jones. _NOT cool_!" he said, petulantly folding his hands across his chest and glaring at his food.

"Ignore him," Remus waved him off with a casual roll of his eyes. "Go on, then," he said, smiling warmly even as Peter and James excitedly leaned in closer.

"Alright, basically it was all Lily's idea," she said, now sounding her normal self again. "To be honest, those slimy blockheads had started to curse way too often in recent times and _no_ amount of detention was doing the trick!"

"And I REALLY wanted to teach that Mulciber a lesson he would remember for LIFE!" Lily happily chimed in.

"And it was MY idea to do some _long-term_ damage to that plonker ever since Lucius asked us to watch our backs after Lily smacked him in the face!"

"Before I forget...!" James cut in, "that was _brilliantly_ done, Evans!" he said holding his hand up and beaming down at her most sincerely. And for a second, Isabella almost thought Lily would scoff it off with a petty, ' _Fat chance_ ' or so, but only a moment's hesitation later, Lily lightly hi-fived him back, taking even James by surprise.

"Huh! You're a decent human being, after all," muttered Claiborne, only to get glared at severely by Lily. "You speak too soon, Jones—" Lily curtly added, and sure enough, not a second later, James actually decided to go with a, "WOW! Did you see that, lads?! She smacked this hand!" he said, pointing at his own hand and jumping exuberantly on the spot. "Merlin, I knew it! She is DYING to get a feel of the _rest_ of me...!"

Claiborne rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sorry, Evans."

"Forgiven," Lily replied in a cold-jaded voice, eyeing him with pity and disgust.

"Okay, okay, go on!" Sirius prodded irritably, almost forgetting he was mad at the whole group, while James sank back, smirking smoothly at Lily, his ego completely untarnished.

"So, we brainstormed ideas on how to get them to stop cursing and think twice about ever using that word again," Isabella said.

"And that's when I went up to Severus and learnt some of his home-made spells that would aid us in this mission," Lily continued, lightly clapping her hands in glee. "The spell that Sev invented is called _Langlock_. That, with a combination of other curses and spells we had learnt in the last five years, did the trick!" she added beaming.

"We just had to tweak the spell a little to ensure it worked ONLY when the Slytherins used specific curse-words and the credit to _that_ idea solely goes to the Queen of Curses, Miss Claiborne Charlotte Jones!" exclaimed Isabella, pointing at a sheepish Claiborne.

"YOU came up with that idea?" asked Remus, looking mildly impressed.

"Well..." she started, suddenly aware of all the eyes trained on her, making her grin uncontrollably. "Yes, I mean... Well, I didn't want them bothering my friend for a long, _LONG_ time!" she said, sporting a wide grin that painted her cheeks pink.

"So, wait, how long does the curse stay on?" James demanded.

"Well, every time they utter the specific words, the curse itself lasts a whole eight hours, thus, derailing their speaking ability for the rest of the _day_!" Lily said.

"And for how many days will this stay on?" asked Peter, taking a swig of pumpkin juice.

Claiborne smiled. "Two weeks... But they don't need to know that, do they?" she asked, her eyes twinkling dramatically.

Remus and Peter simply looked stunned at their friend and her hidden talents. "Huh... What do ya know," started Peter, his mouth still half-full. "Our Clay's a tough cookie..." he muttered, sounding genuinely impressed, while Remus mutely watched on, gobsmacked at the very least...

"She is, isn't she?" he muttered, staring after her even as Claiborne's quill scribbled non-stop into her diary.

- **O** -

It was twenty minutes past midnight and the students were busy meticulously charting out planetary positions up on the Astronomy Tower, taught by Professor Eldridge Shadowoend, an old, grey-haired balding wizard, whose left eye was so small, it was a mere slit compared to his normally-sized right eye. And Isabella shared today's class only with Claiborne and Peter and few other Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws.

"You know, I must admit," began Isabella, studying her chart carefully, "I do quite enjoy Astronomy."

"' _Enjoy_ '? It's your favourite subject, Izzy!" scoffed Claiborne making Peter's look up in mild surprise.

"Really? Like it that much, eh?" he asked, grinning at her pale face.

"Yes, Astronomy and _Ancient Runes_ , if you can believe it!" Claiborne teased even more.

"Wh... It's mighty interesting!" Isabella roared back, stung by Claiborne's dramatic scoff at the end. "I mean, doesn't it BOGGLE your mind to think that the light from these stars, nay, _celestial bodies_ —"

"—Why do you sound like Black?" demanded Claiborne, scrunching up her nose.

"—travel over several BILLION light years to reach our eyes, but the beauty of it all is that, by the time we see actually see it, _the star itself may not exist anymore_!" she exclaimed, looking a bit too mind-blown than necessary.

Peter and Claiborne simply exchanged looks of great pity for their friend. "There, there..." muttered Peter, stifling a snort that was bursting at his lips. "I'm sure you will find _someone_ who... well, also shares the same passion for... _big, burning bodies of gases_!" he guffawed, hi-fiving a delirious Claiborne.

"Oh, I hope so too!" grinned Claiborne, pouting teasingly at her, making her roll her eyes and shake off the condescending hand on her shoulder. "Oh, you will laugh now, but I think you will find it VERY interesting to also note that if aliens indeed _were_ spying on us from planets orbiting other mini solar systems located approximately sixty five million light years away from us—"

"—Oh, Merlin, have mercy on us—!" Claiborne slammed her head into her hands.

"—they would not see human beings driving around in stupid _cars_ ," stressed Isabella, trying out drown out the exasperated sigh from Claiborne, "but actually witness the Earth being ruled... by _dinosaurs_!" she exclaimed, her eyes the size large lemons now. "Wicked, huh?"

"Wow, you sure do love your stars, don't you?" snorted Peter "And hey! Perhaps you should bat your eyelids and look pretty RIGHT NOW, because exactly _sixty five millions years_ from now, some alien-chap might actually chance upon your drool-worthy face and fall head over heels for ...!" but Peter never got to finish that sentence, because Isabella had thrown her jumper at his face, making him fall backwards and knock his bag off the ledge, sending most of it contents spilling to the floor. "Hey!" he exclaimed, still laughing and nudging her lightly on the side. "Well, you were asking for it!" Isabella retorted, stifling back her smirk and bent down to help him repack his bag. "Ah, crap!" she exclaimed as she realised his ink bottle had smashed and stained most of his parchments and quills and phials.

The next quarter of an hour was spent painstakingly sucking out the ink from the parchments and quills, while Claiborne continued on with her homework. "There, all done!" said Isabella, handing over the last of his rolls and picking up his phials this time. "Ooh, Peter, this looks exquisite!" she cooed, turning a tiny gold cup in her fingers. It glinted brilliantly in the moonlight and had some sort of an animal embossed in the front, except Isabella couldn't discern what it was under all the ink. She was, however, sure that it was made of pure gold and resonated magic in every cell. "What is it?"

"Oh, that!" he said, quickly grabbing it off her hand. "Merlin's beard, I was supposed to owl this cup to mum ages ago! Remind me to do it first thing in the morning, tomorrow, Clay," he said.

"Yeah, careful, Pete, it looks expensive," said Isabella picking up his cauldron now.

"Oh, you've no idea..." he muttered, safely pocketing it.

- **O** -

The next four weeks witnessed several highs and lows.

The Quidditch season was drawing close and the Professors were FINALLY starting to go easy on the students and taxing them much less with submissions than earlier. Isabella, for her part, decided to get her act together and drew up an extremely tight schedule, giving herself enough time to eat, sleep, train, study, complete assignments AND spare five minutes everyday for a frivolous chat with the girls. She woke up at four everyday and went for an hour long run around the grounds, before the rest of team joined her for training. And while Thomas quarreled with the Ravenclaw Captain, Blaise Fawcett, about mishaps with the booking of the pitch, James and Sirius could be seen either having push-up contests, forcing Isabella and Brian to compete with them in doing planks or nagging the crap out of poor Brian and Victor (their scared-looking substitute Keeper, two years their junior) to declare who was taller than the other... And the answer was always the same: Sirius was _TALLER_ —but, _of course_ James suffers from 'selective hearing' and doesn't quite understand that he still had more than two inches to catch up, so he would end up challenging Sirius ALL OVER AGAIN the next day, and Sirius, obviously, always gladly obliged.

And IF Thomas won the verbal (sometimes slightly physical) war of the booking of the Quidditch pitch with Blaise, he worked the team tirelessly from five o'clock everyday, making them train like dogs to improve their stamina and agility because this match against the Ravenclaws was the decider on who gets to take home the House Cup this year. Not like his plan was working well, though, because at least two members on the team (Clarissa and Oliver) were DETERMINED to not cooperate with the rest and going so far as to not seeing them in the eye during the practice sessions that it was getting very difficult for poor Thomas to effectively execute his strategies.

James, Sirius and Brian, quite understandably, were growing restless and mutinous at Clarissa's petulance that a mini confrontation in mid-air almost broke out on Saturday morning, and Sirius being Sirius, decided to mutilate her SO BAD with his beastly use of words that, had it not been for Thomas's tactful interference, the team would have lost their most talented Seeker forever. And no amount of pleading got Isabella any close to rebuilding her friendship back with Clarissa.

"Clare, are you DEAF?" Isabella finally cried, when Clarissa finally hit the ground and stormed off towards the Changing Room.

"No, I hear you LOUD AND CLEAR, Williams, I just like to pretend you don't exist!"

"Wow, that's mature, Clare! Last time I checked, you were the SENSIBLE one on the whole bloody team!"

"Well, WHOSE fault is it that I've totally lost it now, eh?" she yelled back.

The rest of the team (along with a few Slytherins who were howling their lungs out on the stands and a couple of Ravenclaws who were pretending to ' _perfect their flying_ ' except they were here to merely spy on the Gryffindor team) watched this open scream-match pan out on the grounds, not even bothering to return to practice.

"RYAN WON'T LET ME GET TWO FEET CLOSE TO HIM!" Isabella howled, finally losing her cool. "HOW THE _BLOODY HELL_ AM I SUPPOSED TO APOLOGISE IF HE'S SUCH A _COWARD_?!"

" _DON'T YOU DARE CALL HIM THAT_!" Clarissa bellowed back.

"I'm sorry, Goody, I only speak the TRUTH!" Isabella snapped scornfully.

Clarissa's eyes blazed red with rage now. Taking a step closer, she glowered into her face. "The truth is that he is TOO good to be true, that you RUTHLESSLY took advantage of him and that, WALKER here is _too cowardly to sack you off his team_!" she roared, now glaring at Thomas who was still perched on his broom, several feet away.

"So, what are you going to do? Let Gryffindor LOSE just because of our differences?!" Isabella yelled.

"YES!" she cried back and stormed into the Changing Room.

And that was exactly what she did...

The match against the Claws was such a huge disappointment, the Gryffindor side of the stands had begun conjuring up rotten eggs and throwing them at players. Never before in the history of Hogwarts had students got this mutinous and enraged ever and yet, Oliver and Clarissa merely pretended they were having a sophisticated tea party on their brooms in the middle of the air, adding to Thomas's frustrations. It was the most humiliated Isabella had ever felt in all her life when she saw the scoreboard displaying a score of 80:280 favouring Ravenclaw.

Drenched from head to toe in egg yolk and tomatoes and perhaps even a bit of pixie dung, the team dejectedly made their way out of the pitch, amidst loud chants from the Ravenclaw stands. And to make matters worse, the Slytherins had conjured up large blow horns that did a fantastic job at booing at the Lions. And oddly enough, the Gryffindor players hardly spoke a word as they stole into the Changing Room.

"Say the word, and I shall do them off for you, Tom," grunted Sirius, twirling his wand suggestively and winking manically at the rogue teammates. "I mean, think about it," he continued, gleefully plotting a conspiracy while not even noticing the mega rolling-of-the-eyes from the rest of them. "It's only 'murder' if they find the body... Otherwise it's just a ' _missing witch_ '... Some food for thought, eh?" he smirked psychotically.

"Well, aren't you just a fun little treacle tart tripled dipped in psycho?" snorted Thomas, pulling off his Quidditch robes and changing into casuals, forcing a calm face.

"You know, I never thought I'd see the day," started Isabella, still glowering in Clarissa's direction, "but I'm with Mister Brutus Barbaric on this. I'd _very_ much enjoy planning her funeral right about now. She'd be buried only after every Gryffindor had HURLED the Snitch at her face till she looked like the _Ghost of Christmas Past_!"

James snorted gloomily. "Reckon you should replace your ' _Do Not Disturb_ ' sign with one that says, ' _Already Disturbed... Ha-Proceed With Caution_ '!" he guffawed, getting even Thomas's lips to curl upwards. "Although, it must be said," James added, the smile wiping off his face at once, "that wasn't the exist you deserved as Captain," he said, clapping Thomas on the back.

Thomas merely shrugged and wore back his glasses and even if he wasn't showing it, it was more than evident how torn he was deep down. "Ollie, Clare," Thomas called out, turning to face the rebels on the other side of the tent, "don't miss the Oath tonight, please? It's my last one as Captain," he said, swinging his bag over his shoulder and tearing out of the room, leaving every jaw in the tent hanging open.


	26. Shackles of Love

**A/N:** Apologies for the delay. Also, if any of your poor souls have yet to heal from the treachery that "GOT Season 8" inflicted on us, "Reign" ought to heal it, because it did mine :)

 **All new Follows and Faves:** Thank you for all your support, you motivate me to keep at it :)

 _ **Arctech:**_ Thank you for reading my story and leaving a review! It made my day :')

* * *

 **Chapter 26: Shackles of Love**

* * *

 _Unedited..._

A week after the devastating loss against the Ravenclaws, most of the school (except Thomas Walker and McGonagall, of course) had recovered from the shock and almost immediately geared up for the next most awaited match of the year: Slytherin vs Hufflepuff...

Usually, it went without saying that the Slytherins and the Gryffindors were the school's indelible rivals, but the year of 1975 had established a new, EVEN bigger rivalry between two of the most unlikely Houses to ever lock horns: the Snakes... and the _Puffs_. The whole prospect of this ever happening was almost laughable to say the very least, which was exactly why this impending match managed to excite every living soul in the castle, including the _Bloody Baron_ (although he is technically _dead_ ). And without exceptions, the atmosphere in the Common Rooms of all Houses was so electric and so high with excitement that students made it a tradition to brave the cold and assemble in the Quidditch pitch everyday between six and eight o'clock in the morning to watch the two teams practice and scream out nonsense instructions, before heading back in for breakfast.

And it so happened that on a glorious Wednesday morning, Isabella, Lily and Claiborne found themselves heading to the Quidditch pitch once again (a feat that Isabella had accomplished after a bloody, _bloody_ battle) alongside Edgar, Lance, Frank, Viktor, Samuel and Kingsley with plates and plates of toast in their hands.

"You know, I'll never understand what this obsession about a stupid _game_ is!" rasped Lily crossly.

Several gasps resounded around her.

"What—!" choked Edgar.

"She did _not_ just—" stuttered Lance.

"Heavens above...!" Frank squeaked weakly.

"No, s _he doesn't mean it_!" Isabella said quickly, horror-struck at Lily's callousness. " _Lily, you're embarrassing me_!" she added severely through gritted teeth.

Lily snorted. " _What_? How the bloody hell am I _embarrassing_ you, Iz?" she chuckled, stuffing her mouth with toast.

"Because, _you're best friends with a Quidditch player yourself_ , THAT'S WHY?" hissed Isabella, exchanging glances with a hysterical Claiborne.

"That STILL doesn't justify us freezing ourselves to death to watch a bunch of... clods... _PRACTICING_!" Lily shot back triumphantly.

Samuel Willows rolled his eyes. "I think she thinks that ought to _offend_ us," he snorted.

"Actually, no! I am merely here to point out the foolishness (and the _enormity_ of it all) that you lot would even consider _wasting precious time_ watching uncoordinated maneuvers and losing your heads every time the Keeper _accidentally_ lets the Quaffle in through the hoops—"

"— _That is the whole point of having a Keeper_ —!" Kingsley Robins exclaimed horrified.

"—while they could be _studying_ instead!" Lily trilled, avoiding everyone's eye as she did.

"Merlin's beard, is she actually saying these words?" Frank snorted, sniggering uncontrollably now.

"Unfortunately," Claiborne muttered back while Isabella cursed herself for bringing Lily along.

"Glad to know there's someone even _more_ hard core than us Claws!" he chuckled, as the group took their place in the Ravenclaw stands which was closest to the hoops that the Hufflepuffs were using today. Practice had already begun and Isabella's senses instantly went on full alert mode, her eyes zeroing in on the Hufflepuff Chasers and discerning their circling strategy, while the boys screamed silly around her.

"Dear god, let these fools actually have a game plan in place!" exclaimed Isabella, horrified at how chaotic their flying was, just in time to catch Lucius's hearty wink. Isabella narrowed her eyes playfully at him making him grin cheekily before zooming out of view once again. Ever since the two teams had started practicing for their imminent match, it had become customary for Isabella and Lucius to meet up post practice and meticulously go over his attack strategies, with Isabella critiquing his his technique and helping him perfect it—something she was starting to regret greatly now.

"NO! LEFT! _TURN LEFT_ , you IDIOT!" Lance bellowed, even as Vernon turned right and got obliterated by a Bludger. "Merlin's beard, and this is the HOUSE TEAM?!" he roared, holding his head in panic.

"Blimey, am I glad I am not a Puff!" chortled Viktor Jigger only to get stabbed with death glares from the rest.

Isabella resignedly sank back into her chair next to Claiborne and scornfully watched Lily commit the sin of poring over her Charms textbook while a battle of brooms raged on in front of her.

"I don't even know why I try!" she shrugged helplessly in Claiborne's direction, making her grin apologetically.

"She's still here, though, isn't she?" asked Claiborne, smiling wisely, much to her annoyance.

"And that's supposed to mean she's being _supportive_?!" Isabella hissed back angrily. "Quidditch is the ONE passion of my life that I want to share with you two, and I can't even get her to _pretend_ to be interested?"

"I can hear you, Williams," hummed Lily from her left.

" _Don't care_ , Evans," Isabella shot back coldly, inviting a very confused frown on Claiborne's face.

"What's got your slacks in a swivel?" muttered Claiborne even as the boys groaned around them, drowning her voice.

Isabella didn't say anything and mutely watched Pollux Emberpike expertly diving down and scoring while avoiding the Bludger. "Nothing."

Claiborne rolled her eyes. "Fortunately, I speak your language and I know 'nothing' NEVER actually means nothing," she said, smiling slightly.

Isabella sighed. "Oh, I dunno, Clay... It's just, well... Lily's been driving me nuts of late and I'm THIS close to snapping back at her!" she hissed back. "I mean, she doesn't even realise how condescending she sounds every time she brushes me off. She doesn't realise how awful I feel every time she calls my passions ' _worthless hobbies_ ', like studying ought to be man's single most important priority _ever_!" she hissed through clenched teeth. "Look, I'm not thick, I KNOW she doesn't say that to hurt me or anything, hell, she might actually think she's being _uber funny_ with her wisecracks, not realising how mad it actually makes me!"

Claiborne opened her mouth unsurely.

"Well, yes, she _can_ be difficult sometimes, I know—"

"— _Difficult_? She practically _smothers_ me with her stupid study schedules, schedules I didn't even ASK for! Clay, it's maddening to know that I have no control over my own bloody life!"

The stands erupted once again, with the students screaming profanities at the Hufflepuff team.

"Izzy, that's not fair, she's only trying to help—"

"—Help that I didn't _ask_ for! And even if I were to turn a blind eye to her micro-managing, the least she could do is not complain and rain on moments like these, but NO! She HAS to make me look like a deranged headless dog, doesn't she?"

"Will you calm down?" whispered Claiborne, silencing her. "Izzy, you must talk to her about these things..."

"I'm not telling her anything!"

"Why not?"

"Because..." Isabella hesitated, her eyes trained on the game in front of her but her mind elsewhere, "I don't want to hurt her," she said at last. "She's my best friend and I feel _awful_ that I even feel all this."

Claiborne didn't say anything and simply watched her from the side.

"It's not right to harbour these emotions within oneself, Izzy," she said quietly. "She's your best friend and deserves to know what you think of her even if they are not particularly pleasant..."

"Clay, don't start..." said Isabella exasperatedly.

"You know I'm never wrong about these things!" said Claiborne sternly.

"You know I hate confrontations—!"

"You think you're protecting her from possible hurt _now_ , but she will eventually learn about it, and trust me, it will hurt her more THEN than now!"

Isabella smacked her hand over her face. She should never have brought her friends along today.

"I'm heading back inside!" she said stiffly and jumped up to her feet.

"Wait! _Izzy_...!" groaned Claiborne.

Lily's head snapped up.

"What? We're leaving already?" she asked, looking surprised. "But we just got here."

"Yeah, well, we all know Hufflepuff's doomed anyway," Isabella said gloomily, edging towards the stairs. "Didn't see the point," she said, waving Lance and Frank goodbye.

"Ah! Would you look at that? My best friend FINALLY coming to her senses!" exclaimed Lily in fake-awe. "I must say, I always knew a rational side to you existed! And if I don't say it often, just know that I'm mighty proud of you, Williams!" she giggled sarcastically and raced down the stairs, completely oblivious to the mounting rage within Isabella.

" _She. Means. Well_!" Claiborne hissed stiffly in Isabella's ear, pushing her along by her shoulders.

...

In all honesty, Isabella wasn't even sure why she was experiencing such extreme mood swings of late. Every little thing infuriated her and she couldn't, for the life of her, put a finger on exactly why she was always so cross. Perhaps the Quidditch loss did far-reaching damage to her morale than she realised.

The only possible silver lining during these grim times that gave her solace, perhaps, was the extremely successful prank that the girls had played on the Slytherins a week ago. Because, never before did Hogwarts witness such tame reception from the bunch EVER! The boys, especially, were terrified out of their wits to say anything even slightly out of line because, aside of experiencing the effects of the curse laid upon them, the students feared getting detention from a disgruntled McGonagall for babbling gibberish during class _even more_.

What was more surprising was that even the Ravenclaws, who were for the most part cold and distant with the rest of the school, seemed greatly impressed with the feat too. It had taken Isabella completely by surprise when that morning, Brock Bletchley, a fellow fifth-year and the school's official Commentator, himself walked up to the girls before Ancient Runes and thanked them for helping rid the corridors of imprecations even if it was for just a week. However, half way through their conversation, Isabella started to suspect if Brock really had only used this as an excuse to look at Claiborne from up close...

"Hmmm... Was I imagining it or was Brock thanking Clay a bit _more_ , just now?" Lily asked slyly as they took their usual seats right in the front of the class.

"Well, our Clay _is_ a beauty, I wouldn't be surprised if he really was," replied Isabella, watching Claiborne's ears turn a brilliant shade of red.

"And _I_ don't care enough to notice if he did," Claiborne replied, trying to sound as unconcerned as possible.

Lily's eyes fell on Isabella almost at once.

"And I've always wondered why," Lily said quietly, dipping her quill into her ink pot. "How does one with such mesmerising golden locks and large doe eyes NOT find themselves in throes of love, eh?" she said, wiggling her eyebrows teasingly. "Does someone else already have your attention...?" she added casually, grinning widely. Isabella pretended to read through her scriptures and hoped to seem as unstirred by this conversation as possible.

Claiborne's eyebrows disappeared into her hair. "What are you suggesting, Evans?" she asked breathily even as Professor Bathsheba Babbling bustled into the class, her glasses hanging precariously on the bridge of her nose.

"Morning, class!" she said briskly, slamming her books on the table, and getting everyone's attention at once. As per usual, she wasted no time and got down to business at once. "Okay, everyone, turn to page one hundred and ninety four!" she barked, busily pointing her wand at a mound of sand inside a large glass case and unearthing a spectacular golden tablet from within it. The usual scuffle of activity followed that order as students pulled out their parchments and quills and textbooks. "We will continue to study ancient Egyptian magic today. I want you to scour through runes and symbols mentioned in this lesson and correctly match them with the symbols inscribed in this tablet here. Whoever unlocks this spell today will receive _fifty House points_ as reward, so chop chop!" she said, clapping her hands animatedly. "And QUIETLY!" she added.

Not a second after Babbling had sank into her chair, Lily resumed their conversation as if they hadn't been interrupted at all. "Come now, Clay. Do you really want me to _spell it out for you_?" she whispered, sporting a very tongue-in-cheek expression making Isabella's jaw drop to the floor; she tried gesturing to Lily to cut it out only to get royally ignored!

"Okay, hold your horklumps, there, Lily, if you think I've already fallen for someone's charms, you are grossly mistaken!" she said, chuckling lightly. "Besides, _I wouldn't dare_...!"

"Well, why not?" Lily pressed, ignoring Isabella's wild glares.

"Well, I _can't_ to being with..." Claiborne shrugged matter-of-factly. "I come from a Pureblood family, have you forgotten?" she asked.

Lily's eyebrows knotted together. "What does have to do with _anything_?" she asked.

Claiborne actually stopped everything and looked up with an expression of complete disbelief, and suddenly turning serious. "Everything!" she said, still looking wildly taken aback that Lily and Isabella didn't understand what she was getting at. "It's very complicated, Lily, we live in a time where if you're unable to prove your loyalty to wizardkind, you end up _dead_! Besides, I most definitely need to hold up my virtue or I risk losing my mum to a heart attack!" she said, returning to her textbook and scanning the symbols, looking unusually disgruntled. "Girls like me don't have the same luxury of falling in love as do others, you know?"

"What do you mean?" asked Isabella.

"You heard me," said Claiborne.

"Wh... Er, okay, but I thought the Bletchleys belonged to the Sacred Twenty Eight, didn't they? They're as pureblooded as they can get. You still can't—"

"— _No..._ Izzy, I can't," she said, looking far too agitated that necessary, almost as if she didn't want to want to be having this conversation. A moment later, she put her quill down and looked up with solemn grace, her features etched with great angst. "I told you, we don't have that kind of freedom. Our lives and marriages are decided in our infancy itself, Izzy. Alliances are formed with families based on whether they'd uphold my own family's reputation or not. Oh, and also how much gold each family would be amassing because of our union... It's what we're told over and over again growing up until it's ingrained in our brains for eternity. I wouldn't dare do something even remotely stupid," she said.

"Well, I know _that_ , but that's hardly it in your case...!" Isabella started with a scoff, but froze when she saw the look on Claiborne's face. "Clay, please tell me that's not the same in your case..." whispered Isabella anxiously.

Claiborne remained oddly quiet, hardly daring to meet either of them in the eye. "I most certainly can't," she mumbled at last, leaving a dumbstruck Lily and Isabella in her wake.

A shocked silence followed that statement, plunging them into a world of dread.

"So... You..." started Isabella, realisation dawning on her at last. "Y-You're already... _engaged_? To someone?" she asked, even as a slow sense of horror descended upon her.

Claiborne froze, holding an unreadable expression in her face.

" _Are you_?" asked an equally mortified Lily.

Claiborne let out a long sigh and looked up, as if she had prepared for this day all her life. "Alright... You two need to listen to me _very_ carefully now," she spoke slowly, turning to face them fully now. "I know how this looks... But, please know that I never meant to keep anything from you, you two mean the _world_ to me..."

"Oh my god, Clay, why aren't you DENYING it?" hissed Isabella, her hand racing to her mouth. " _You can't possibly be_... You'd never keep something like this from us, ever!" exclaimed Isabella, foolish enough to hope this was the truth, but when Claiborne's face fell, Isabella's whole world seemed to come crashing in on her.

"Izzy, I..." Claiborne started, but fell silent knowing the damage had been done. And as if ready to take the bull by its horn, she straightened up and bravely faced them. "To answer your question, yes, I _am_ engaged to be married the minute I pass out of Hogwarts. I was going to tell you towards the end of seventh-year so that I wouldn't seem like such a hopeless old hag from the _fifteen-hundreds_ ," she added bitterly.

A shockwave ripped through them. And for a long time, Lily and Isabella didn't say anything, taking a moment to wrap their heads around this new piece of information, information that had been concealed from them for _five long years_.

"Well, er..." Lily started, still seething in disbelief. "Who... Who are you engaged to, Clay?" she finally asked.

Claiborne shrugged lifelessly. "Dylar Borgin."

"And he is...?" Isabella started.

"Yes, he's seventeen years older than me."

Isabella's gaze hardened, her head exploding with rage. "And you didn't think to tell us about it."

"Izzy, please..."

"No, GO TO HELL, Clay!" Isabella hissed indignantly and turned her face away even as her eyes filled up with angry tears.

- **O** -

The next few days were some of Isabella's worst at Hogwarts. The closest she had ever come to feeling this way had been in her second year, when Sirius, along with James and Peter, had played a mean prank on her which resulted in her hair catching fire. And it didn't help that she had been extremely plump back then, because deny as she may, the Slytherins weren't lying when they said she looked like a big white ball of fire, screaming on top of her voice until McGonagall found her and rescued her. But Lily and Claiborne had been by her side back then.

Currently, she was not talking to Claiborne anymore, forcing her to sit separately with Alice and Mary during meals and classes, sparking even the boys' curiosities. Remus, especially, had tried asking Isabella more than once about this, only to get a nonchalant shrug from her, confirming his theory that the girls indeed had gotten into a quarrel. As for Lily, well, Isabella and had resorted to using mere monosyllables for responses (much to her bewilderment) and the fact that Lily wasn't even aware as to why she was being subjected to such cruelty from her killed her even more.

She desperately needed her friends back, but with Lily continuing to be a complete arse and Claiborne emerging a traitor in every sense of the word, had finally driven her up the wall! She was not ready to forgive either of them just yet and no amount of being called a 'big egotistical baby' by Remus was going to make her change her mind.

"So, what plans for your birthday?" asked Isabella, as she and Remus braved the forbidding chill that ripped through the grounds.

"Well, I was going to invite the bunch of you to a private butterbeer party in our dorms, but seeing as you don't see eye-to-eye with either of your friends anymore, I..."

"No! _Don't you dare_ guilt-trip me into talking to her, Lupin!" Isabella said stiffly, even as James, Sirius, Peter and a whole bunch of Gryffindor seventh-years ran past them, idiotically waving the Gryffindor banners in the air for a Hufflepuff vs Slytherin match.

Isabella raised an amused eyebrow in their direction. "Do I want to know?" she asked, stifling a smirk and watching Sirius go berserk with excitement.

Remus shook his head exasperatedly. "I think I heard James say something about exerting the Gryffindor dominance ' _oxymoronically_ ' at the wrong match..."

"I think it's time you taught him what 'oxymoron' really means, don't you think?" she snorted, making him break into a grin.

"Anyway," Remus started, going back to her matter with Claiborne, "Clay wanted me to tell you that she's very sorry... _For whatever it was that she did_ , I still don't know!" he added quickly, seeing Isabella open her mouth to retort.

"And she couldn't tell me this herself?" she spat out furiously.

"Well, in her defense, you haven't been a bed of roses lately, too, have you?" he asked.

Isabella raised an eyebrow. "Whose side _are_ you on?" she asked indignantly.

"Nobody's! I just want the two of you to go back to _talking_ to each other, that's all! And frankly," he said, pausing to look at her, "I know for a fact that you mean more to her than even Lily..."

Isabella gasped. "You did _not_ just say that," she said, half-chiding, half-smiling.

"My point is, you are like two peas in a pod, and _no_ fight ought to last more than a few hours. Come on, you don't need _me_ to tell you this!"

Isabella didn't know what to say, as a warmth spread through her. She simply smiled up at him. "You really like her, don't you?" she finally asked.

Remus simply shrugged and the two of them started towards the pitch once more, a slight colour rising up his face. "Well, I like you too...!" he started, hesitantly. "You're both my friends," he added, making her roll her eyes long and wide.

"The whole world knows Clay, you and Pete are like a gang, Remus, please!" she scoffed.

"Well, that... May be... Mildly accurate," he started, but when she gave him an exhausted side glance, he decided to drop the act. "Alright, fine, yes, I like her a lot. She's kind and wise and cares so deeply for others and is hardly ever wrong about _anything_ , it's hard for one not to like," he said, choosing his words very carefully. "She's one of my closest friends... In fact, the only girl I ever got this close to in all my life," he smiled, sounding as noncommittal as possible.

The two of them entered the boisterous Quidditch pitch alongside an army of Hufflepuff supporters from across Houses. The sudden deafening noise that slammed into her the minute she stepped in sent an excited tickle up her spine. This was the first time in a long time that she was here at the stands as a _spectator_ and the spectacle that reached her eyes took her breath away! Because nearly three-quarters of the stands looked like they had been painted in yellow and black, as students from every House sported the resident colours of Hufflepuff, clearly letting the world know who their favourite was today—all except the lone scarlet and gold banners that Sirius and his friends was dementedly waving from the Gryffindor stands.

"Oh my god, THIS IS AMAZING!" she squealed, making Remus grin widely. "I've missed simply being able to watch a Quidditch match!" she cried, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Let's find the boys, then!" he said. Leading her by the hand, Remus dragged her towards their own tent, where nearly every seat had already been occupied by their House-mates—all except Lily and Claiborne and Thomas, who Isabella suspected was still wallowing in sorrow all alone in their tower. The two of them joined their exuberant House mates who seemed to have gone berserk, screaming insults and waving rude slogans at the Slytherin players, determined to avenge their tragic loss mere weeks ago.

The match, as usual, was peppered with gore and bloodshed so much so that it got hard to continue watching it objectively anymore. And as much as she hated to admit it, Slytherin did have style and Lucius was doing a FANTASTIC job as Chaser, allowing them to dominate the game from the very beginning! With every passing minute, the match steadily sank towards a point of no return with the scoreboard reading 140:40 favouring Slytherin. And no amount of verbal abuse that the loyal Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws were throwing at the Snakes was salvaging the game in any way. Perhaps, the only exciting part of the match unfolded in the last ten minutes when there was a MAD chase for the Snitch by the Seekers from the two Houses, wherein, the pair had ascended so far into sky, they looked like mere specs in the vast expanse. The crowd watched on with bated breath, not even caring about the Quaffle jumping in and out of hoops on the side. When the final whistle blew, no one knew exactly who had caught the Snitch until the scoreboard updated itself: 290:60.

The groan that followed that was the loudest, most deafening noise she had ever heard on this pitch till date. It almost felt like the world had ended, when the Slytherins roared with victory, showering the pitch with green confetti!

"The colour of doom," Sirius whispered dramatically, his voice damaged beyond repair from all the screaming he had indulged in for the last two hours.

" _I know, I want to KILL myself too_!" bawled Isabella, and before the words had even left her lips, she noticed a green blur racing straight towards her at top speed. "Wh... Merlin's beard, Lucius!" she squealed delightedly, as he grew bigger and bigger in size. Laughing heartily, she raced down the steps to meet him. "You were BRILLIANT!" she screamed as she reached the ledge, but before she could even find her footing, he had raced towards her on his broom and flung his arms around her, pulling her into the biggest hugs ever!

"Lucius, what are you _doing_ , _YOU'RE IN ENEMY GROUNDS_!" she cried, laughing uncontrollably even as the Gryffindor tent erupted in protest.

But it was as if none of them even existed for him, as he wound his arms tighter around her, one she was more than happy to return. "We won! _We won_!" he mumbled against her shoulder, still holding her, and still mounted on his broom.

"I know, you had me in tears!" she squealed back.

"I could never have done it without you," she heard him whisper in her ear, ignoring the avalanche of slurs and insults that the Gryffindors were belting out at him. With her hands still wrapped around his neck, she pulled back and beamed into his face. "You were _fantastic_!" she said sincerely, making him break into the biggest smiles she had ever seen on him. "Let's go," he said.

" _WHERE_?!" she asked.

"Victory lap, _of course_!" he guffawed and before she could even protest, he had spun her around, wrapped his hand around her waist and hoisted her effortlessly on to his broom, ignoring her blood cries.

"Lucius, you've gone completely MENTAL!" she screamed, but swinging her legs on to the broom all the same.

"GO SNAKES!" he screamed manically from behind her, before enveloping her with his hands to hold the broom and shooting up into the sky like a bullet, making her double up with laughter all over again. The cold wind billowing in her ears, put her at ease at once. And for the first time ever, she realised just HOW GOOD Lucius actually was at flying, directing his broom to do exactly how he intended, almost as if the wood was an extension of his fingers. The wind caught in her hair, making it rage behind her.

"Woooooo!" he screamed again, as they ascended further up into the sky, making her slide into him. "Lucius, CAREFUL!" she screamed, unable to stop grinning even for a second.

" _GO SLYTHERINNN_!" he shrieked again, wrapping one hand around her and using the other to grip his broom, before diving down without warning, making her heart jump into her mouth. "LUCIUS, NOOOO!" she screamed, holding on to his arm for dear life, but Lucius merely chuckled teasingly, plunging them into a near vertical dive now. Isabella was screaming on top her of her voice now, eyes tightly shut and fingers digging into his flesh. A second later, however, she felt them slowing down as he elegantly tugged at the broom, making it straighten up. Isabella opened her eyes and found them about twenty feet away from the ground now. Still circling about the pitch, Lucius casually swerved the broom around, his left hand still wrapped securely around her waist. Isabella looked up and found nearly half the stands had emptied now, as students dejectedly made their way back into the castle—all except the Slytherins, who were still chanting and singing, basking in their victory.

"GO MALFOY!" someone yelled from the stands, making them both break into grins. Lucius paused to wave at his friends cheering him on from the Slytherin tent. Isabella did not fail to notice the questionable glances she was receiving the female population.

The pair of them went around the pitch two more times along with the other players, crying and screaming in happiness, and hi-fiving students as they went, and Isabella hadn't been able to stop the grin plastered across her face.

When the pair finally hit solid ground, Isabella turned back to look at his happy face, grinning down at her contently. "What are you smiling at, I'm still _heart-broken_!" she said teasingly, swinging her legs off the broom and facing him with her hands on her hips. "How're the lot of you good at _everything_ , it's maddening!" she said, overcome with admiration _and_ annoyance, but Lucius didn't say anything and continued to stare at her, as if trying to memorise her face.

"Well, would an invite to our victory party tonight help heal your heart?" he asked innocently, smirking lazily up at her.

Isabella gawked disbelievingly. "After what we pulled a week ago, NO thanks!" she grinned, feeling a sudden heat rise up her neck. Because she was suddenly very aware of his eyes clawing on to hers, and it felt like he was teasing her a great deal, making her stomach squirm uneasily. "Anyway, erm..." she said, snapping her eyes away from him and collecting herself once again. "Well, er... Congratulations, again!" she said, shaking her head distractedly and stretching her arm out to hug him goodbye. "Er... See you again at lunch... then?" she asked, patting him lightly on the back.

"Mm-hmm," she heard him say. "Can't wait," he added, and she had hardly pulled away when she suddenly, she felt him pull her close once again and before she could even wrap her head around what was going on, he had pressed his lips hard to the side of her face, triggering all sorts of emotions in her!

"Lucius, what are you doing?" she whimpered, feeling him kiss her more and grin against her cheek while possessively embracing her with his other hand. The butterflies in her stomach seem to have gone wild now, making her sway in nervousness. "Lue, _come on_!" she muttered, blushing furiously, fully aware of all the eyes gawking at the pair. And when he finally pulled away, she found him grinning, looking very impressed with himself.

"What are grinning about, what was that?" she whispered, still blushing and hardly managing to keep a straight face.

Lucius shrugged playfully. "I'm just celebrating my victory with my best friend, is that such a big crime?" he said dramatically, his eyes twinkling teasingly.

"Oh, ha ha, _very funny_!" Isabella said, biting a smirk, making him chuckle lazily. "Go on, then," he said, pointing at the red and gold banners disappearing out the entrance. "The bunch of tosspots might be missing you."

Isabella beamed at him. "You've no idea what's waiting for me back in my Common Room!" she said, narrowing her eyes at him and walking backwards towards the entrance. "I'm going to be roasted alive!" she grinned.

Lucius guffawed. "Happy to help!" he called back cheekily, making her stomach jolt uncomfortably once more.

With a final wave, she hurried outside to join the students trudging back up the stony path, dejected beyond words. Isabella found her mousy-haired friend chatting with Martin Benkley just a few feet away and called out to him, making him turn around.

"Izzy?" Remus said, looking surprised. "Well, look who's returned to us mortal imbeciles," he teased even as she caught up with him.

"Not you too, Remus!" she groaned, getting in step with him. "We're just good friends."

"Yeah, that much was pretty clear," he guffawed sarcastically, making her give him the side stare.

" _Stop it_!" Isabella said, giving him a sideways shove, making him double up with laughter.

"He _is_ a wicked flyer, though," Remus admitted, still grinning.

" _Isn't he_?" she beamed with pride. "Anyway, we never got the chance to speak privately ever since our... 'adventure' in Neverland," she said, giving him a knowing look.

He nodded immediately. "Oh, yes! I've been meaning to speak with you as well, Iz. Okay, look, you have nothing to worry about, alright? Dumbledore _and_ Madam Pomfrey are aware of my condition and the pair keep a VERY close eye on me, so I won't be of _any_ danger to you or anyone whatsoever..."

"What? No!" Isabella cut him quickly, feeling an instant pang of guilt. "No, that was not what I meant to say at all, Remus! I... I just wanted to say how proud I am of you for... well, being so brave and so kind in spite of everything you go through... month after month..." she said, flushing red in embarrassment. "And well... I just wanted to tell you that, you're a dear friend to me too and you can count on me for anything at all that you'd need. Any help, and I'll be there," she said, beaming up at him.

A surprised smile cut across his features. "Why, thank you, Izzy," he said, gratefulness washing over his face. "I might actually hold you to it, you know," he said, grinning sincerely. "That reminds me, I haven't yet told Clay about it, yet..." Isabella's stomach fell at once. "I don't know if I'll ever have the courage to tell her," he mumbled incoherently. "Funnily enough, she's the one person who thinks she knows me in and out, when she doesn't know the FIRST thing about who I really am," he said, his voice dripping with guilt.

Isabella sighed. "Relax, we shall work this out together, okay?" she said.

"Yes, please..."

.

Isabella had not been wrong about her theory that she was going to get roasted alive by her House-mates, because the second she entered her Common Room a collective ' _Boo!_ ' exploded right in her face, as if she had gone behind their backs and consorted with the devil himself! She tried to reason with one and all, but the more she spoke, the louder the Boo's got, making it impossible to get her point across.

"You make it look like I have made it my life's mission to _personally_ train the Slytherin team and see them win all the matches JUST to poop on your feelings! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN I'M A GRYFFINDOR TOO, YOU PEA-BRAINED, BLOOD-SUCKING BUNCH OF _ANKLE-BITERS_?!" she was screaming at a bunch of tiny second-years, who had relentlessly kept their Boo's going for the entirety of her monologue! "Merlin's beard, help me, Sirius!" she finally wailed, only to find him scowling petulantly at her from his corner.

"I'd rather watch you die, TRAITOR!" he yelled, and James nodded vehemently from the side.

"Godric, have mercy," she whispered to herself and sank into a couch near the window. A sudden pang of sadness crashed into her as she realised she couldn't even run to her friends for comfort.

It took several days for the taunts to finally die away, and she could peacefully sit and eat at her own House table during meals. It took slightly longer for Sirius to forgive her, but when he finally did, she had nearly crashed into his arms in gratitude. All the while, she and Claiborne continued to not speak to each other, in fact Claiborne had started avoiding running into her even by accident in their dorm, by waking up and much earlier than the rest and returning to bed well after everyone had fallen asleep, and finding refuge with Alice and Mary during classes and meals. It killed her to see her this way, but Isabella's ego wouldn't let her break the silence at the same time.

It got most awkward especially on Remus's birthday, when the whole gang gathered about in the boys' dorm for a tiny party of butterbeer and a game of Exploding Snap, and the two of them refused to interact with each other. Franks started asking questions, which spiraled out of control when Edgar and James jumped on the bandwagon and the whole night became about their fight rather than be about Remus.

It was easier with Lily, however, because the two of them were spending every waking hour mostly studying or exchanging notes, sparing very little time to actually talk. It was clear that things were fast getting out of hand and desperately needed to be fixed and soon!

- **O** -

~oO _**2 weeks later...**_

The corridors were nearly empty as most students had already headed down for dinner, making her footsteps echo in the darkness. Isabella was returning from Transfiguration with a favour from McGonagall to return the wooden buckets she had used to demonstrate their transfiguration into heaps of mushrooms, back in their respective cupboards. Slinging her bag over her right shoulder, she hurried down the winding staircases with the heavy buckets under her tow and reached the first floor landing just above the Great Hall.

"Well, this one must be it," she muttered to herself when she neared the broom cupboard marked '12'. "And in you go," she whispered breathlessly, balancing the buckets on one hand and yanking the door open with the other.

A shrill scream shot up in the air, making her drop the buckets in fright just in time to catch a pair of startled eyes staring back at her.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" shrieked Isabella slamming her eyes _and_ the door shut and backing away from the cupboard, nearly toppling over the lolling buckets scattered on the floor.

"Merlin's beard, _IZZY_!" came a boy's voice, followed by the noise of a door being wrenched open.

"No, I didn't see anything! Just please leave me alone!" screamed Isabella, her eyes still tightly shut.

"Whoa, it's okay, it's just _me_!" she heard Sirius chuckling uncontrollably.

"OF COURSE, it's only you!" Isabella bellowed, still not daring to open her eyes. "Do you not have anything productive to do _ever_?!"

The sounds of him grinning his head off made her really want to punch him in the face now. "I was just blowing some steam off!" he guffawed. "And cut it out already!" he said, grabbing hold of her hand.

"No! First tell me if you're decent!" she said irritably.

"I am!"

She opened her eyes to find him hurriedly buttoning up his shirt over his sweaty shoulders. " _Unbelievable_ , Sirius!" she chided. "This is the SECOND time this has happened this year!"

"I know, how does it keep happening only with YOU?!" he asked, laughing for full measure now. But when he saw her glaring at him with her hands on her hips, he quickly shut up. "Okay, okay, I know, I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting company!" he pleaded, still stifling his smirk.

"Well, why don't have the sense to avoid the most frequented corridors at least?!"

" _Your brain doesn't work like that in the heat of the moment_!" he guffawed, breaking down laughing all over again, bringing a smile to her a face too.

" _Honestly_ , Sirius," she said, grinning slightly herself. "Who's in there anyway?" she finally asked, pointing at the cupboard.

"Oh, er... No one, just... some older bird," Sirius said, still catching his breath. "Just... Don't be upset, alright?"

"Upset? Why would I be upset?" Isabella asked incredulously. "And why are you still out here with me, _get back in there_!" she scolded, gesturing in the cupboard's direction.

Sirius blinked wildly. "What?"

"W-You heard me! Don't leave the poor girl hanging, Sirius! It's mighty rude!"

He paused instantly, looking fully taken aback at her words. "Huh? What are you saying...?" he asked slowly, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Look, I know you're all just a bunch of skanks looking to steal a snog or two every now and then, but Merlin, have mercy on her feelings, Sirius!" Isabella said, smirking uncontrollably now.

Oddly, Sirius's stance didn't have the same urgency as did Isabella's. Instead, he merely frowned, seemingly frozen in place. "Wha—Are... Are you... You're not... You're not upset about running into me... like that?" he asked, a shockwave rippling through his core.

It was now Isabella's turn to be fully taken aback by his question. "What? No! Why would I be?"

"You actually want me to go back in there?" he repeated, his eyes hardening this time.

"Of course!" she shrugged innocently.

"And finish what I started?" he pressed on.

" _Yes_! And please make sure the buckets make it inside the cupboard when you leave, I don't want McGonagall taking any more points from us," she said, swinging her bag over her shoulder once again. "Besides, you still haven't told me who you're with!" she added with a twinkle in her eye, but Sirius seemed to have permanently frozen on the spot.

"Actually it doesn't matter, the moment's passed," he said, shaking himself awake just as the broom cupboard bolted open and out ran the curly-haired Eudora Bearfist, bearing great betrayal and reproach in her eyes for Sirius.

"Good Godric, a sixth-year from OUR House?!" Isabella exclaimed, smacking him hard on the side even as Eudora hurtled out of sight. " _Scandalous_!" she added, with a dramatic shake of her head, except he looked entirely unimpressed. "Impostor... What've you done with my best friend?" he asked, frowning rather solemnly, while walking towards the cupboard once more, but never taking his eyes off her.

"I'm right here, Black."

"No. The Williams I know would flip and dig a hole of sorrow where she'd hide herself and cry to sleep every night after running in on me and my lady friend like that," he said, grimly. "Oh, and I almost forgot to add, she wouldn't talk to me for several _weeks_ at least, because of the trauma she experienced!"

Isabella raised an brow at his tone. She didn't like his tone one bit. "And the Black I know wouldn't _dream_ of deserting his lady friends in the middle of a _make-out session_ , what's your point?" Isabella retorted watching him pick up the buckets and stack them neatly inside the broom cupboard. Grabbing his bag and cloak from inside, he slammed the door shut with more force than required.

"This," he said, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "That I didn't know it would hurt this much to realise you've actually moved on..."


End file.
